


Fearling

by Orthane



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, F/M, Feral Behavior, Mates, Mutant Politics, No Nakia, Not Canon Compliant, Politics, Rated For Violence, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Wakandan Born OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21764794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orthane/pseuds/Orthane
Summary: She jumped in after him. Whether that spur of the moment decision changed the future for better, not even Bast herself knew. Now Nokuthula and T'Challa must face a new future together and all the new variables in it. May the Panther Goddess help them.
Relationships: T'Challa (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> “Xhosa.” + “ _Emphasized Dialogue_.”
> 
> “ **English**.”
> 
> _Thoughts._

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heir to the Wakandan Throne is to be crowned, but in true T'Challa fashion, nothing comes easy.

I twisted and tugged on the large, circular necklace that seemed so unbearably tight around my neck all of a sudden. The beaded disc was beautiful, but with the amount of beads that it was made up of and even more necklaces set on top of it, it became horribly heavy and and a bit uncomfortable to lug around for hours. Apparently in my tribe, the more was better; it showed my status in my tribe, which was pretty up in the chain. My blood connections with the chief family was very close and I, in fact, was a first cousin to the Elder’s niece. What this meant was that I was second in line as heir to the tribe.

This was great because I didn’t have to worry about the expectations that my cousin Nofoto suffered from, but it was also irritating. I had to stick with her in nearly everything since I was both the next in line if anything happened to her and was also to be her adviser for her future political involvement in Wakanda. Shadowing her father with her to talk with other tribes or getting involved with our own tribes issues and improvements lost its glamour and excitement and quickly became such a chore.

Spending my years as a child learning my studies, sticking myself to Nofoto, learning the unique martial arts of my tribe, and juggling with keeping my friendships at a comfortable state was draining. Now as an adult of 27 years, I didn’t have to bother with education anymore having finished my private studies a year ago, but every responsibility became more intense and held more weight. All my decisions were measured since the consequences not only would affect myself, but would have an impact on my tribe and effect my cousin’s reputation.

With this heavy on my mind at all times, I did everything in my power to makes sure she prosperous in every aspect of her life, and I did this not only because I was loyal and had the best of my tribe and country in mind, but she was nearly my sister. We were stuck at the hip since we were born and had a bond rivaling those of twins. Not sharing the same mother meant nothing to us.

But I was also content to do my best to keep her successful because I was not at all comfortable with bearing the burden that was the leadership of the tribe.

Chiefdom was not something I don’t believe I was ready for or would ever be.

* * *

“ _Aysh_ , Nofoto, are you ready for the ceremony? We need to be an _hour early_ —before any of our people are there. _You know this._ ” I tugged on my bracelets in agitation and then knocked on her room furiously. “ _He-llo_ , anyone there? We need to go!”

A muffled reply comes through the door, “Yes, yes, yes. I’m ready, I’m ready. No need for the ruckus.”

The door swings open and walks out my cousin, decked out in the traditional garb and jewelry the woman of my tribe were famous for.

I smiled, canines nearly poking out from my thick, red stained lips; she looked beautiful.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” She worried, and touched her mouth and cheeks for the leftover snacks she must have been munching on not long ago. The smell wafted from her face and hands.

I shook my head and continued to smile, offering her my arm. When she finally decided that she was safe from public humiliation, we linked arms and walked down the halls, meeting her father and mother at the door.

When they caught sight of us, they both smiled.

“You both look beautiful my daughter, niece. The saying that our tribe are not only known for our power but also our good-looks is rightfully justified!” The chief boasted and nearly crushed his wife in his one-armed hug. My aunt swat him irritably all the while grinning a white, blinding smile. When he let her go, she immediately smoothed down her clothes and fixed her jewelry that became disarray with his manhandling.

Nofoto rushed to her mother to kiss her hands and on her forehead that was leveled a few inches below her own, and rearranged a necklace that hadn’t been spot. Meanwhile, I went to kiss my uncle’s hands and hugged him tightly. My cousin and I then switched places and did the same.

“Today is a blessed day. We thank Bast for her generosity and compassion,” my aunt said as she went to hold onto her daughter again. “Our future king will be a good one. One that will keep us protected from the outside world like his father and ancestors had before him, and we will thrive under his rule.”

The words and the tone she said them in was profound, and we all found ourselves bowing our heads in emotion.

“And I will help him, mother.” My cousin added fiercely as she brought one of her mother’s hands to her forehead. “With your blessing.”

My aunt smiled proudly. “Yes, you will.” She then looked at me. “And you will help her in her journey, no?”

I nodded seriously and took her other hand. “Of course, Aunty. Have I not dedicated my whole life for this?”

She gave me a motherly peck on my cheek. “Then we are in good hands. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.”

My uncle opened his thick, long arms and dragged all of us in a hug, ruining the moment by laughing. “Come now! We all know my daughter will be his right wing woman, advising and overseeing the country along side him.” He let go and signaled the guards to get ready for our departure. “But first, we need to _crown_ the Inkosana! Let us be on our way!”

* * *

The view was gorgeous from where we were standing. The weather was perfect and the plants were at the peek of their beauty from the greenery that they displayed. It couldn’t get anymore perfect. But what added to the moment was the excitement buzzing in the air. All the people of Wakanda had passed their mourning stage of the passing of our late kumkani, and now were excited to bring a new monarch in his place. It was a new start everyone needed. It was the beginning of a new rule.

“I’ve never been so excited in my life!” I whispered to Nofoto. She turned her head toward me and nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

We had just finished the loud ritual that signified the crowning of a new kumkani, and was now waiting for the High Priest Zuri to give the kneeling Sikhulu the liquid that removed powers of Black Panther. I shivered in anticipation when he began drinking purple liquid and clenched onto my robes when his veins purpled and began to look visible even from the place where we were standing.

I sniffed the air to find out if there was any difference in his anatomy.

What I found was that the smell of him decreased and was made less potent. Less feral.

I was surprised to find that I still liked it.

It appealed to my feral side because even though he was many times over weaker than us now, he was still a suitable king that she found worth submitting to. It calmed her demand of challenging this man—a man who claimed to rule all, including myself, without a single challenge for the seat. I was relieved that it was less likely now that I would instinctively jump to challenge him if he ever opposed or got in the way of my actions in our future interactions. Listening to a man lesser than me force everyone into following his rule would have made my feral resistant and hostile. My feral already thought that because of our superiority we were better suited for the position of power so if she even sniffed a hint of weakness, it was inevitable that she would get me in trouble for her over-dominating personality.

I jolted when the booming voice of my uncle sounded next to me, “ **-will not challenge today.** ”

When I startled back into reality, my eyes darted back to the yet to be crowned sikhulu who’s eyes roved over my family, suddenly making eye contact with mine, as brief as it was. I nearly jumped at the shear intensity that his eyes emitted. My feral approved, tickling the back of my mind pleasantly with a low hum.

_Oh._

My eyes immediately turned to the floor and my head involuntarily bowed to acknowledge his rank.

Okay, well that potential confrontation for a challenge was a lot more less likely now. There was little chance I would ever go up to him and get in a fight. My feral side finally settled in its corner and content itself with the fact that there was indeed a human (although less powerful than myself) who was deserving enough to reign over the country. We were in good hands.

I sighed to myself and reached out to grab my cousin’s hand to squeeze it. I gave her a small smile that relayed everything I wanted to say. She smiled back in a pleased manner when she realized from my relaxed form that from now on there was going to be no problem with cooperating with T’Challa in the future. This was in a very important moment in our lives because we were afraid that my feral wasn’t going to be happy with the prince’s higher ranking, which would eventually leave me with having to abandon my position at the royal court entirely as not to challenge him.

I turned forward to watch the proceedings when my keen ears caught an echoing sound of around eight to ten feet walking through the caves of mountain.

I moved my spear into an inconspicuous stance, oblivious that my movement had caught my cousin’s eye and made her tense, familiar of my combat-ready position that signaled incoming danger.

A familiar scent caught my nose; it was one I had discovered many times in my adventures in the wilderness.

I tugged on my uncle’s sleeve anxiously.

He turned his head to give me a chiding look that told me to stop making a scene and pay attention to the crowning, and discreetly removed his clothing from my grasp.

“ _Uncle_ , the Ja-“ He then moved his hand to the top of my back warningly and I ignored that by opening my mouth to warn him once more, but by then it was too late and the Jabari were already in our presence. They were bigger than I imagined. Probably more powerful too. For such big men, I would have imagined they would sound louder than an average person but they were actually light on their feet. It was easy to deduce that they learned their stealth because of their primitive way of living, which required a great amount of skill in the ways of concealment in order to hunt for food for their tribe.

Everyone, including the Dora Milaje surprisingly, had only realized that they were approaching when they began their loud grunts and ape-like noises as they came out of the tunnels.

Until they were fully in view, they made no move to hide their power and completely removed all forms of stealth, stomping all over the place mimicking the apes they held in high regard. M’Baku, their young chief and king, came up to our prince chanting loudly as his warriors stood back responding to his shouts.

“ **M’Baku, what are you doing here?** ” Our witch priest asked him agitatedly with a harsh stare.

With his head motioning to the surroundings, the ape-man replied lightly, “ **It’s Challenge Day.** ”

My feral became deeply amused at the balls of this ape-man. She liked him. I didn’t.

The chief of the outcast tribe then moved to look at the audience yelling his distaste at our ways of living with technology and I grimaced in agitation. But when he made towards our princess, who flinched back in total terror, I snarled lowly, desperately wishing to drop down to where the royal family were standing and gut the stupid man. Nofoto too looked livid with anger, her eyes burning into the chief who had the nerve to threaten a royal in the presence of her loyal people.

 _The Dora Milaje have more than a fair chance at defeating them if this encounter becomes hostile_ , I thought snidely. _And I wouldn’t mind giving a little taste of what I have in store if he makes one more move._

M’Baku then turned towards T’Challa, yelling his displeasure and taunting the prince with the death of his father. At that point I nearly had enough and had to clench my clothes with white knuckled fists to keep myself in place. No one. I mean, no one, was going to come to our territory, come in front of our people, and tell our prince that he didn’t have the right to be king.

My chest rumbled quietly when T’Challa interrupted M’Baku and consented heatedly. “ **I accept your challenge.** ”

As the whole scene between the Sikhulu and Jabari leader unfolded, my feral woke and began to pace agitatedly, upset that someone had the gal to challenge our new alpha. But what was worse was that he actually had a chance at _winning._

My heart pounded furiously as I struggled to restrain myself from jumping down and joining the fight, especially when T’Challa was knocked down to the water at one time. The drums beating, the chants, and the violence going down in the water made my heart quicken and was coaxing my feral to come out. The moment I felt my nails grow into sharp points, I quickly slid my hands into my robes. My teeth also began to elongate and I had a hard and awkward time trying to keep my lips covering them. I looked a sight with the evident bumps of them hiding behind the skin between my lips and chin. To mask my features, I lifted my robe covered hand over the bottom of my face to look like I was appalled of the occurrence down below.

 _That worthless piece of rhino dung!_ I bared my teeth threateningly behind my sleeve when blows on the Sikhulu were achieved. _Yes! Show him the power of the Golden Tribe!_

The dreaded instant when the uncontrollable rumbling in my throat was getting out of hand and people around me were looking around for the culprit, I involuntarily reached out and grabbed the forearm of Nofoto. She jumped at the feeling of the point of my nails digging into her arm, breaking the skin even though I was holding her as delicately as I could. The scent of fresh blood made my feral stir even more. At that point, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get out of there.

Nofoto got one look at my face and began to shove her way to the exit. Her parents hissed and scrambled to get a hold of us, but I pushed my cousin in front of me and dodged their hands with ease. I followed closely behind her, keeping my face low and covered in case anyone spotted my teeth or unnaturally small pupils. Unfortunately, I had no way of covering my pointed ears and I hissed to my cousin so, so she took off her robe and placed it over my head then continued to drag me out of there. The spear that I held was forgotten on the floor.

If I weren’t so panicked about almost revealing my secret in public, I might’ve been horrified that she took it off in front of everyone. A woman in our tribe, and a high ranking one no less, was respected by the value and quantity of their clothes and jewelry, so removing and giving it to someone below them was a social suicide. Thankfully, no one was to be bothered and were all invested with who would come out victorious in the fight, so we were able to flee with almost no problem. In the cave I threw the suffocating piece of cloth back to her as I past her, running into the wild with inhumane speed before I did anything rash.

Instead I focused on the rush of freedom that made me excited and compelled to run at my full speed in the tall grass, leaping over rocks, bushes, and other obstacles like a gazelle. This went on for a while until I felt like I had to move from the fynbos floor, so as soon as a large tree came in sight, the provocation to climb it was inescapable. I brought a clawed hand a second before my nearly flying body met the tree and dug into the bark. I did the same with the other and repeated the action many times.

From an outsider’s perspective, I made a terrifying and amusing sight. Terrifying because of the raw power and skill I displayed, and amusing because I looked like a cat clawing its way up a tree. What added to the image was the outfit and jewelry that I was wearing that did not suit my acrobatic movements.

I became confused when climbing was more just a tad bit more difficult than I remembered until I realized one important, yet missing, factor. I kicked off my leather sandals without a second thought and began climbing with all four limbs. It was just as I thought. Climbing with only my arms was easy, but the addition of my feet made it like second nature.

_Much better._

One branch after the other passed me and soon the distance between me and the jungle floor turned into a few of meters in seconds. The top was in sight.

I slowed before I reached the top of the tree and found a stable branch to crouch on; I could go no further since the higher branches were likely to break under my weight. As I settled into mediative demeanor to settle my inner-self, or in other words, my feral, I set my gaze upon the view that extended as far as the eye could see, which was saying something since I was acknowledging my super sight too. The fynbos, a biome filled with greenery, dozens of different sorts of cacti, and a few trees, spanned for miles, and even though I knew that the city wasn’t far, I recognized the area that I was sure the cloaked city was situated—yet still, it was a sight to behold.

I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

A long while later, when my thighs began to feel a little exerted from crouching, I shifted into a lying position with my arm under my head, gazing ahead.

 _Hopefully another 50 years of peace._ I turned on my back and looked up at the sky.

 _The future looks unsettling_ , I sighed in my mind, lifting one clawed hand and focusing on the way my nails retracted and settled to its previous form. The acute and undiluted vision that took over my sight weakened back to my normal human one, my hearing that encompassed all was now limited to the thirty meters around me, and everything seemed more muddier than before.

I could stay feral forever but for some reason, subconsciously, I always turned back human whenever my powers deemed unnecessary. Once, I tried to see what would happen if I kept my powers on as long as possible, but as soon as I wasn’t paying attention to it, it retreated. I was shocked to say the least; heightened senses and strength was not something that could easily slip away from me without noticing. Whenever I consciously retracted everything to its normal condition, the difference in myself and how I responded to the world seemed unmistakable.

 _As long as I get to spare some time to do stuff like this, then I won’t turn stir crazy in that loud city._ Then I thought of T’Challa. _But then again, with monarchs like ours, who says that they won’t make me go insane._

I quickly sat up. _Isn’t he the Kumkani now? Or is it possible that the Jabari chief won the seat?_

It was very possible that I could have now been serving a new linage. Even without the powers of the Black Panther, the ape-man man was insanely strong for a human. I heard it from my uncle himself, who never explained how he came upon this fact.

There actually was a very good possibility that he could be more stronger than T’Challa, who drank the potion to remove his powers. Although with all his brawn, T’Challa still held something more powerful: skill and will power. T’Challa was unbelievably impressive as a fighter when he was human and I was sure that the motivation to keep his country under his safe rule would enhance that feature many times over.

At that thought, I never felt prouder.

As a human being, he could’t get anymore perfect. I’d now this because I spent my whole life watching him from afar—it was literally my job description. Throughout the many years that I spent time behind my cousin and watched her interact with him, I found that there couldn’t be a man more suited to the throne more than he, and with that my loyalties were quickly rooted. I looked forward to the many years that I would help my cousin serve him.

My mother wasn’t wrong, our people would thrive in his care.

 _It’s time to see the verdict of the dual._ I initiated my powers and climbed down nimbly.

Slowly jogging through the jungle, I decided to enjoy what it had to offer and took the time to smell, look, listen, and feel the area. But incase that there would be the occasional hunter or shepherd passing by, I hid my powers fifteen minutes before I caught sight of the entrance.

When I reached the border of the city, I smiled at the familiar guards who bowed their heads at me. They knew of my ventures out in the wilderness, and even though they had no idea what I was up to, they trusted my ability to keep myself safe. For the last fifteen years I had been going in and out of the city and not one time have I come back with an injury—although I should thank my healing ability for that. Deep research told me that Ferals were more likely to attain healing abilities. I saw it from mutants like the Wolverine, Sabertooth, Lynx, WhiteBear, and many others.

For every street that I entered, the crowd doubled in size, until I reached the most congested one located in the heart of the city. Instead of going my home that was thirty minutes away and contacting Nofoto who would be fretting over me for the scene at the arena, I found that I could easily posses the knowledge from gossiping citizens.

The crowning was the most important news of the year, and there was bound to be some information that leaked out shortly after the event.

A few minutes later, I would be found in a shaded stall leaning against a wooden post and enhancing my hearing to overhear the tittle-tattle of two elderly woman beading away at the jewelry they were going to sell in a week from now when they finished.

“-ness. She said that she heard from her husband, who was there to witness, that he had his thighs locked around the Jabari and begged him to yield. She said that he became blue since he took a very long time to and was seconds from suffocating to death. The Inkosi is a very compassionate man. We are lucky that Inkosi T’Chaka raised him so.”

“Quite right, darling. Did you also hear that the ma—“ I had my fill, and with this information in mind, I turned to go back home.

I wasn’t so surprised at the outcome, only a bit relieved. The throne was secure for the next four or five decades.

For a moment, I turned back to gaze at the palace that stood so magnificently miles away on a high mountain.

_My Inkosi, T’Challa. May you lead us in difficulty and support us in prosperity._


	2. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News of Klaue's escape from the Black Panther reaches Nokuthula and she ponders about what this means for her country.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Xhosa.” + “ _Emphasized Dialogue._ ”
> 
> “ **English.** ”
> 
> _Thoughts._

Waking up at five in the morning nearly everyday came as a second nature; not sleeping at all, even more so. My nocturnal behavior might’ve been attributed to my mutation since many wild cats hunted and lived during the night.

I lifted my face from my pillow and croaked, “Time.”

“It is 5:28 a.m.” My systematic home device monotonously replied from my clock on the bedside table.

“Turn the shower on to warm setting.”

The telltale sound of the water sputtered on and hit the floor as I lifted myself from lying on my belly to walking down my room, removing my pajamas and leaving a trail of clothing to the bathroom. The hot water cascaded down my body and I stood there for a few minutes reveling in the sensation until I finally reached for my bottle of shampoo. Washing my head thoroughly, although it didn’t require much attention since I sported a very short buzz cut, I thought back to events that occurred in the last two days.

So far, nearly nothing had changed—not surprising since the Kumkani had only been in leadership for less the 70 hours. Even before our late Kumkani had passed away, T’Challa had a major role making decisions with his father in our government, so really there was nothing he actually did want to change. It was almost as if T’Chaka knew that his end was near and began to retreat from meetings to let his son take the stage—sometimes not showing up at all if he deemed it of minor importance, trusting that his son would take care of trivial matters. So in fact, actually nothing changed except T’Challa officially being our leader. 

I, on the other hand, was going crazy running all over the place with my cousin trying to find a new dealer on the remodeled vibranium cloth that had just been released into the market. We wanted to be the first tribe to have our fingers in that pie, which would make us priority in their eyes, being the major buyer when they were at their first stages of introducing something to the market. Also, my tribe was one of the most populated ones in the nation and renown for our fashion, so if our people began to wear their fabrics, other tribes were bound to be influenced.

I had no idea why my uncle thought it was a good idea to leave us with this task that should’ve been left to his secretary, but what I did know was that my secretary deserved a raise.

I dried my body and walked to the mirror. 

Thank Bast that makeup wasn’t something that was practiced by the woman of Wakanda. I’d seen some of those Youtubers from the West in the net. They’re crazy to waste such time on doing something so mundane as cake their face.

As I was moisturizing my face with vibranium enhanced creams, my home AI spoke up in its soft feminine voice. “Honorable Heiress Nofoto is on the line. Accept or de-“

“Accept.”

The loud voice of my cousin sounded through the walls.

“Morning, cousin! Did I wake you?” My cousin laughed. She was always so much like her father in that she was always in a chipper mood. To some it might’ve eventually became an annoying trait, but I had my whole life to get used to her personality. By now I found it charming. Nofoto simply wasn’t Nofoto without her joy.

“No, not this time,” I denied as I began to slip on my beaded cuffs. “When did you wake up?”

“Some 40 minutes ago. When are you going to be ready?” 

“Right about now. I’ll meet you at the arena.”

“Don’t forget your shield this time!” She joked.

“Like I needed it anyway,” I shot back. “You can be shooting at me with a gun and I’d still be able to defeat you with my bare hands.”

“You know that if you were a human I’d have a fighting chance.” She argued, and she was right. If I were a normal human like her I’d probably be average or a little above in combat skills and she’d be wiping me on the floor. “And plus, it’s not only your bare hands. Don’t forget about your claws. That classifies as a weapon.”

“My claws are an extension of my body and therefore part of me. An entire body can be a weapon if utilized correctly.” I replied as I walked out of my bedroom to get some breakfast. 

Nofoto scoffed in amusement. “You know, you have this amazing ability to make everything into a lecture. Just like my mother.”

“A child like you needs to have your ears pulled every moment. Why do you think they stuck me with you?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Lights on,” I directed to my AI then returned back to my conversation with her, “I’m going to eat now, see you there in five.”

“Hurry up though, I need to tell you something.” My curiosity piqued at those words. “Until then.” 

“Call ended.” My AI informed me unnecessarily.

Nearly every morning we went through the same routine. We both woke up before sunrise, got ready, and then went straight to the arena to brush up our skills. Although there might not be any war or conflict at the time, we were warrior people and had to be ready for any circumstance in which we would have to protect ourselves. I also did this because of my duty to protect my cousin, the future chief of my tribe. With Nofoto, she practiced because of all this but also in case of one of our tribe members or other tribe leaders tried fighting for her position in the near future. 

I threw the core of my apple into a bin over five meters away with impeccable accuracy and stretched down to touch my toes. 

“Close door.” I commanded after I left my doorway and jogged down the steps, slowly gaining speed until I was sprinting at full speed down the lamp lit streets.

It only took me around two minutes to make the whole mile run, and when I reached the entrance of my destination, I took inhaled deeply and easily controlled my slightly erratic breath. Perks of feral mutations was being able to endure trying activities for a very long time. Too add on top of that, I was in an extremely fit condition from constant activity—not only because I had to be, but my Feral wouldn’t allow me to sit in one place for a long time without doing anything physically stimulating. My parents took my to a psychologist for a diagnosis on my behavior—and this was before they knew the effects of my mutation—and was diagnosed ADHD. It made me think that other Ferals must’ve had the same problem. Perhaps if I ever have the chance to meet one I’d ask them if they experienced the same thing.

In the middle of the arena I set to do some light stretches. My regeneration and naturally flexible limbs gave me no reason to do so, but I liked the feeling and used the time to fix my mind in a combative mindset. 

I suddenly stood up when I heard purposefully light footsteps. She was trying to catch me off guard, as usual. Unfortunately for her, light footsteps sounded like stomping so sneaking up on me was nigh impossible.

“Good morning, Nofoto.” I turned around and initiated the greeting with arms over my chest.

She responded back to the traditional greeting and gave me a wide smile. “Good morning, dearest cousin.” 

Our weapons were set in the corner of the room, polished and ready for use. The servants were used to our custom and always had them available for our use.

My cousin held up a hand before I could go retrieve a weapon I felt like using this time. “Before we begin, I wanted to give you the latest news from the Hatut Zaraze.”

I cocked my head. “Oh? Nothing unmanageable, I hope.”

“It is manageable, but bad news nonetheless.” She said grimly. “Yesterday that bastard Klaue struck a museum in the United States.”

“And I assume he stole a relic that contained vibranium.” I finished. Not surprising since vibranium was literally the only thing that he involved himself with.

“Yes. Tomorrow my father and the counsel be informing the Kumkani.” She groaned as she frustratedly rubbed her cheeks, “Why? Why now? Things are so delicate now that we have a new Kumkani.”

“Exactly why he decided to strike now. The man thought he found a window of opportunity and took it. He probably thinks that the Kumkani will not pursuit him himself with the responsibility of establishing himself in the Royal Counsel.”

“Wishful thinking.” My cousin scoffed. “Allow the man the Kumkani’s father was unable to catch his whole life free? Heh. There’s a better chance of all the vibranium disappearing in the mountain than that. The King is going to take this as chance to honor his father’s death and catch him. I’m just hoping he forgets detaining him and instead finishes him once and for all.”

“Same,” I agreed. Keeping him prisoner wasn’t a solution; people like him will never finish playing their games of chaos. The blood of countless innocents stained his hands—or rather, hand. And bringing him to justice? It would please his lifelong friend W’Kabi immensely.

“We’ll discuss this further in the future, but for now let’s get on with sparring.” She threw over her back as she went to retrieve a shield and long knife. She always picked those. 

I quickly jogged up next to her and picked up a pair of long metal arm braces that reached up to my elbow. After removing my thick bracelets, I attached them on.

My cousin scrutinized pick and raised a disapproving brow. “Only that?”

I extracted my claws and held them up, giving a grin full of sharp teeth. “Does it look like I need anything else?”

She rolled her eyes at the attempt at intimidation. “Your nails sometimes break during a spar.”

I tutted, “That happened only once, and that was when I took a spar seriously.” It was impossible to fight against vibranium, a near indestructible metal, with only nails. It was the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight, so in every fight I had to utilize my powers to overwhelm my opponent. In reality, if I were to fight an outsider, I would be able to pierce their armor and flesh like butter and fight easily against their weapons–not including the gun. (But having the mutation I had and simultaneously wearing vibranium cloth, it would be easy to avoid getting shot.)

“With that statement, you know I’m going to take this seriously then.”

“I know.” I replied cooly and walked to the middle of the arena.

Twirling her knife in an intricate pattern that showed her expertise in weapon use, she shifted her stance and readied her shield arm.

“Ready?” I warned and waited for her confirmation. 

When she nodded, I crouched and flexed my claws. 

“Go.”

I sprinted at her and threw myself meters up in the air to overwhelm her with the power of my weight and gravity pushing behind it. She immediately brought up her shield and dug her heels into the floor, knees nearly buckling from the brunt of it. With my feet, I pushed against her shield and threw myself back, rolling back into a crouched position. Nofoto stumbled a few steps but managed kept her balance from my attack.

 _Good girl_ , I praised. If it were anyone else, they would’ve been skidding across the floor.

This time, when she recovered, she decided to take initiation and rushed at me with her long knife swinging.

I leaned back as it swiped inches from my face and kept stepping back as she executed multiple slashes and jabs at different points of my body. For a few moments I allowed her to corner me until I dropped low and threw out a leg to get her flat on her back. In pure instinct, she dodged deftly and threw her knife at my chest. 

Metal against metal made a loud screeching noise when I whipped my arm over my chest and deflected the weapon from impaling my chest. I swiped at her multiple times and grappled with her for a few minutes until I got her in a vulnerable position. The incredibly sharp points of my nails pricked her neck as I used my legs to pin hers down and kept her arm tightly behind her back. 

She bucked multiple times and tried wiggle out my hold as I kept her down easily. Blowing out lowly and relaxing her body so that she was slumped on the floor, Nofoto gave a resigned, “I give.”

Letting go, I patted the back of her head and lifted myself off her. I gave her a few moments to compose herself and get in her battle stance before doing the same. 

“Ready?” I asked with an inquisitive brow.

She nodded while trying to contain her light panting, breathing a few deep breaths. “Yeah,” she replied a little breathily.

“Good,” I said, watching her stance intently for flaws and any clues of what she might do next. “Begin.”

* * *

I was anxious for the hours to come. 

My uncle had the meeting with T’Challa nearly a day ago. The decision was exactly what my cousin and I expected: he left to catch the terrorist. Everyone was unsure yet hopeful that mission would turn out as a success.

He had to succeed. As the his first act as Kumkani, it was important that he had that psychopath captured to show his ability to keep his word. Although it wouldn’t necessarily be a shame if his first operation as king was a failure it would undoubtedly be a bad first impression to his kingdom and advisors. He also had to especially make sure that he fulfilled the vow that he made to his friend W’Kabi. 

W’Kabi was a competent man and leader, but when it came to the issue with his father, a logical one he was not. His fathers death when W’Kabi was a young man had deeply impacted his rationality in matters like this. There was always a furious scent around him whenever the issue of Klaus came up around him, even though he was incredibly good at hiding he temper externally. The body never lies though, and my nose quickly recognized the bitter smell of hatred after the first time I witnessed him discussing another of Klaue’s evasion.

So far things were fine. It was supposed to be a simple stalk-and-capture operation (although it was never simple when it came to that bastard Klaue) and there was no news from the Kumkani, Hatute Zaraze, or Dora Milaje came through so I had to assume that everything was going smoothly. This made me relieved and I was so sure that the mission would be completed without a hitch. 

I turned off the device on my wrist after reviewing for potential updates on the mission. My cousin began to update me on this although it was near illegal to do so. I don’t know why she took the risk to inform me on these matters—not that I minded—but I deeply suspected that she was encouraging me to get out there and use my abilities; possibly even use my powers to protect and help the Kumkani. I found this amusing because I could just imagine the pair we would make: a feline feral and the Black Panther. It was so cliché that it almost was meant to be. 

For a brief moment I imagined what it would be like to imitating those superheroes in the States fighting crime and taking names. It was something I dreamed of when I was younger, mimicking the tales and legends of warriors of Wakanda I was told about in my youth. 

I scoffed to myself. Those were wishes of children. I would never be like the Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men; going out and saving the world. I could never be like them because my first and foremost allegiance was to my country. Everything else was out of the question.

For some reason, I could help but feel a little bitter about this. Forever was I to be stuck devoting my life to this country and I couldn’t even leave if I wanted.

It was a good thing then that I didn’t want to, although I felt sympathetic towards those who were unwillingly bound to this country. 

The city of Wakanda had a strict immigration policy. They never allowed foreigners into our city and allowed few Wakandans out of the country. The Inkosi of the past, along with their advisers, had decided that the secret of our technological advancements was best hidden if very little of our people ventured out. Those who were even allowed out where almost always forced to work with the War Dogs and spy on the country they were inhabiting. It was a policy that was nearly ineluctable and one I found detestable. 

“And what are you thinking so hard about now?” My uncle asked as he entered my office and walked to stand beside me, peering over the work I was completing on my data pad.

I got up from my seat and kissed his cheek sweetly. “Nothing big, only about how the Kumkani is doing.”

“Last I heard was that he is now with the Americans interrogating Klaue.” My uncle took my data pad and began reviewing it absentmindedly. “That maggot is definitely going to do his utmost to make the Kumkani’s time there as difficult as possible. I can only imagine the information he will be offering, only to manipulate them and break their confidence in us.”

Now that he brought it up, I wholeheartedly agreed. It sounded exactly like something Klaue would do. Since he knew that his defeat was inevitable, stirring shit up and making as much a mess he could before he was finally detained was probably his way of having the last laugh.

“Say, when did you hear information on the operation?” I asked curiously.

My uncle stopped tapping at the screen and looked down at me. “About three hours ago.”

I hummed and moved around my desk to grab my patterned robe. Once I slipped it on I moved to my uncle and drew out a hand to beckon for the data pad. We left it on my desk as I escorted him out of my office for our lunch date. Usually we used this time to chat casually about the things going on about my life, which usually lead to us discussing the family business.

We were walking down the halls of our home when our Communication Bead began to vibrate on our wrists. Immediately, we drew our hands together and a single image of a solemn looking Okoye.

The general lifted her arms to her chest and greeted us swiftly yet respectfully. We greeted back only using on arm as not to sever the connection.

My uncle took the lead and inquired, “What has happened, General? Does the Kumkani call for us?”

“He does, Chief Langa. We will be meeting at 15:00 at the Throne Room. That is all.” Okoye answered straightforwardly.

“Hm, I’m to believe that this is good news no?” Although my uncle asked the question, I also too hoped that that was the case.

Unable to avoid the questioning of a chief, Okoye answered as honestly, but little, as she could. “I’m afraid not. We will be answering questions and going into detail of the operation at the council.”

My uncle was not the one to demand answers out of unwilling participants so he let Okoye be. “Thank you, General. I will see you then. Wakanda Forever.”

She crossed her arms against her arms against her chest once more. “Wakanda Forever.”

The connection was cut and my uncle sighed. “I had hope.”

I too sighed deeply through my nose and brought an arm around my uncle to comfort him. My high hopes had been squashed by the news as well. “I will personally hunt him and bring him to justice if it comes down to it. You know I will.”

My uncle gave a small, proud smile and rubbed my shaven head affectionately. “I know you will, my lioness.”

“Now come.” I slipped my arm around his and tugged. “We have some potential contracts to discuss over lunch.”

“A fine idea. I am craving umkhuphu today.”

The restaurant we decided upon was high-tier and not one we would usually chose for lunch, preferring restaurants at the market place that provided heartier soul food. Though we chose the place because of the calm atmosphere, which was preferable to discuss business over. I considered all the options and prospects I had collected over the months with my uncle for some time as we ate. It was a long tedious process, not only because of the list but because my uncle made sure that I completely understood everything going on and was not going blindsided when I were to communicate over terms with the sellers. Once we narrowed down the options, we focused on our dinner and the discussion on the topic drew to an end.

Eventually, I decided it was as good time as any to ask some questions. I really was curious as to what my uncle was thinking about the upcoming assembly and the pensive face he was sporting as he ate did not help keep my curiosity at bay.

“Uncle,” I began.

“Hm?”

“Since we both know that the bad news can only mean that Klaue got away, how do you think W’Kabi will react?”

Langa wiped his fingers on a napkin and leaned back on his chair with a thoughtful look. “Well…The man is a little impulsive and I think there is a possibility that he will eventually start to take matters into his own hands.”

“What do you mean?” I asked inquisitively. “Do you think that he will be making efforts to capture Klaue through his own soldiers?”

My uncle shrugged. “Perhaps. Sounds like the most logical approach.”

I nodded in acceptance to that answer but leaned forward to ask another question quietly. “But do you think he will go against the kingdom to apprehend Klaue?”

Instead of asking that question, my uncle raised his arm for the waiter’s attention and asked to pay. Only were we on our way back home in the redesigned metro did he finally answer.

“No,” he finally replied. “He has too much to lose.”

True. The position over his tribe and the power it came with it, respect, honor, and especially the trust and love of his lover Okoye would all be lost. Yet still I couldn’t help but feel wary about his loyalty. 

As if he sensed my doubts and troubled thoughts, Langa placed hand on my shoulder and looked at me seriously. “Don’t look into this too much. The moment we start doubting leaders and allies is the moment where we begin to find excuses to turn on each other.”

He had a very good point so I nodded my head acceptingly. “Yes, Uncle.” 

“Good girl.” He stood up from his seat and approached the opening exits. “Now come. I have a meeting to attend and you have work to finish.”

I thought of the ever growing work compiled on my data pad that I had to finish before I collaborated efforts with my cousin and rubbed my face defeatedly before standing up to walk next to him.

“It’s a beautiful day today, no?” My uncle asked rhetorically.

I looked around at the bustling streets and the beautiful blue skies and appreciated their beauty for a few moments. The people of Wakanda were incredibly blessed to be living in the most beautiful country in the world.

“Nokuthula, I have to tell you something.” Langa said quietly as he admired the people and stalls. He slowed us down to a stop and took a moment to look at me. “Nofoto will soon take my place as chieftess of our tribe as you know.”

I nodded. Of course, I never expected any different.

“For your entire life you have believed that you would follow in my daughter’s shadow and help her as her right-hand woman.” This too I completely believed and accepted. 

“But I know that there has to be something more to your life.” He grasped my hands tightly which made my heart falter a little with uncertainty. “Nokuthula, you are a bright and fiercely capable woman. Your gift is a blessing from Bast and I know that she gave you it for a reason. It would be unfair to you to keep you bound to a life where you would never reach your full potential.”

My full potential? What was he going on about? I squeezed his hands tighter. “Uncle, what are you talking about? Is there something wrong?”

He continued on as if he hadn’t heard my worries. “Niece, when my daughter takes over my place as chieftess, I am releasing you from your duties of our family and allowing you the liberty to live freely.”

“Uncle, please, why are you talking like this?” I pleaded and shook his hands to get him to answer. Never had I ever imagined to hear those words coming out of his mouth, and what scared me was the way he was pronouncing it. It was as if he was making his final wishes in life, and what he said next confirmed my fears.

“I just feel as if I should make amendments in my life before I regret anything. Life is incredibly short and no one knows what will occur tomorrow. It is better to make things right at this moment rather than missing the chance to in future.” He told me wisely.

Worry niggled my stomach. He was talking as if he knew that his death was near and unfortunately, it was possible. My uncle had married very late at the age of forty and only began having children seven years later. Nofoto, my cousin, was twenty-nine, which meant that he was seventy-six. 

“You are talking as if you are expecting death soon.” I told him. 

He looked at me seriously. “My time could come at any moment.”

I gave him a look. “You are absolutely fine, Uncle. Look at Chieftess Bathandwa, she has lived ninety-seven years and is still kicking. You have another few decades to live.” It was true, with our technological advancements our average death rate was at around ninety. Many people who I knew personally had easily passed that—occasionally reaching one hundred and ten years until they passed away. Diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, strokes, and COPD were easily cured because of Wakanda’s advanced medicine, allowing people to live healthy for a long time until they died naturally. 

“You might be right about that, but this is not about me. I’m not going to let decades pass before fixing my mistakes. It will be too late for you by then so it is now that I am letting you go so that you may do what you wish in life before you regret it.”

I was so shocked at this confession and could only stare at him with wide eyes for some time. When I was able to shake myself out of my shock enough to respond, I noticed his earnest eyes and smiled wobbly. Very quietly, I said, “Thank you, uncle.”

Stepping forward, I hugged him tightly feeling a little choked up. As I let go and looked up at him again and saw his gaze that relayed every bit of his honesty, the weight on my shoulders lifted.


	3. The Worst of Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stranger challenges the newly crowned king and nothing is okay for a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Xhosa.” + “ _Emphasized Dialogue._ ”
> 
> “ **English.** ”
> 
> _Thoughts._

Nofoto and her father walked into the dining room as my aunt and I were eating our supper. We halted to look at them curiously, waiting for the news on recent events. Noticing that they looked a little haggard and defeated, my dining companion and I stayed quiet and patiently waited until they were ready to talk. That didn’t stop me from stealing some small glances at them from time to time.

Nofoto collapsed in her seat and groaned loudly in an uncharacteristic manner while my uncle sat smoothly and silently ate. Later on when they ate their meals and rejuvenated a little, they relayed what went on during the meeting. 

From what I heard, the mission went along something like this:

The Kumkani, along with Dora Okoye and Nakia, were able to capture Klaue after a wild escapade along the streets of Busan in South Korea but allowed one of America’s agents to take him and interrogate the terrorist in a CIA facility. Then, during the interrogation, Klaue was able to escape when his unknown associates were able to temporarily stun everyone with a blast.

As we had all expected, Chief W’Kabi had made his anger known and had made a fuss like the immature child he was during the meeting. (There was no need to complain when someone else was doing your work. In my opinion, if you wanted a job done, expect it only to be done by one’s self.) 

“Sounds like a mess,” I commented quietly after I took a moment to think over everything that they told me.

My cousin laughed without humor, “No kidding… And all this isn’t even the worst news.”

“Oh? And what can possibly be worse that Klaue’s escape?”

Whether my cousin looked to her father either for guidance or permission, I didn’t know, but it didn’t matter in the end because he answered instead.

“The Kumkani brought an outsider, an agent from the United States, to the city,” he stated. 

_What in the world… No, this is impossible._

“Here, as in here, in Birnin Zana.” I specified while pointing at the floor.

Langa nodded somberly.

I was so confused and astonished that I couldn’t bring words to my mouth to string together a proper sentence so I asked simply, “Why?” 

Why would the King, the King himself, ever break the strictest, most enforced law in our country? A rule that he and his forefathers had implemented since the foundation of our country?

“The agent was shot fatally under the Kumkani’s watch and he felt responsible to heal him since Wakanda has the means to do so.”

I finally understood then, but confusion continued to plague my thoughts. “I can sympathize, yet still, never has a foreigner been brought by a kumkani in our entire history–that I know of.”

From the way my cousin straightened and threw her hands up, I could see how upset she was over this risky, hastily made decision. “Exactly! I’m sorry to disrespect his Highness, but does he know what the consequences of his actions are if the foreigner is allowed to gain consciousness?” 

“Nofoto!” My uncle reprimanded tightly. 

“I know, I know, sorry, but you have to agree that what he did is outrageous,” Nofoto said with raised eyebrows and sharp, angry eyes.

“Calm yourself. We don’t know if the agent is even awake. It is possible that they will keep him sedated and take him away.” I said, ever the mediator, and put a comforting hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

She gave a grudging tilt of her head. “That may be so, but we also have to look at the fact that he brought an outsider to our city. Not only has the law been broken, but he has made this judgment call without us giving our permission–or even informing us about his decision.”

“How could he, Nofoto?” I argued. “A man was dying, and do you honestly think we would have allowed him into the city if we ever knew about it?” 

This all made sense to her and I could see this from the way she wasn’t able to argue back–yet agitation over the situation remained, giving her a tense posture. Years of being told that outsiders were troublemakers and unwelcome here had clearly influenced her way of thinking and made her suspicious and fearful of outsiders… though that is not to say that I wasn’t affected by it as well in the least. The King was merciful and I couldn’t fault him for it, but I too worried about the repercussions that would come from this.

“The other chiefs and I will be speaking about this with his Highness tomorrow to find a solution, girls.” Langa interrupted calmly. “As for now, we must wait for information on the agent.”

“I’m a hundred percent sure that he will be waking up any moment.” Nofoto said, seething a little. 

This made me wonder where exactly the agent would be waking up. It didn’t seem like a very smart idea to allow the foreigner to be healed in the public hospitals where everyone would be able to discover him and cause an uproar amongst the public. The private clinics that individual tribes owned were also ruled out because of how upset the tribal leaders themselves must have been at the news. The last conclusion that I came to was Princess Shuri. It wasn’t a secret that the young innovator had a lab of her own and had dipped into every field that Wakanda could provide, whether it be weapons, transportation, textiles, communication, or medicine. The girl had obsessed over creating the best of the best and it would be no surprise if her brother used this to the agent’s advantage and healed him there.

In the end, I decided that nothing would be achieved by saying all this aloud and stayed silent. When all was said and done, everyone had to wait for the King’s orders and hope for the best.

Nofoto stood up from the table. “May Bast give you blessings, father. I hope that you are able to convince the Kumkani into making the right decision.”

He nodded and thanked her. “I will need it. Good night, Nofoto.” 

I excused myself not long later.

That night I went to bed feeling apprehensive, not looking forward to the upcoming morning. Never had I heard of the Elders unanimously upset at something the King had done and I had a feeling that this would mean trouble stirring in the Royal Court tomorrow and the days to follow. What the Inkosi had done was an absurd act against our ways of isolationism and would not be allowed to be swept under the rug. 

The next morning I got up in a state of suspense, wondering what the day would have in store for me. I was both relieved and disappointed that I was not involved in the matters of the Court and went along my day like it was any other.

Quickly, the morning was over and I found myself sitting in a cafe enjoying a chilled drink and working to finish some small tasks on my data pad. As I was about to complete a form for one of the deals that my tribe was investing in, my communication bead vibrated. Immediately, I opened the link.

I smiled at my cousin, not taking notice her flushed face. “Hello, cousin. Ho-“

“ _The Kumkani has been challenged for the throne._ ” My cousin rushed in a frantic tone. “He’s going through it immediately! I can’t make it on time so you will have to take my place. Go now to the arena!”

Without waiting for her to disconnect, I threw myself out of my seat and sprinted full speed in the streets. My form was a near blur to the citizens of Wakanda as I dodged and passed them. Too full of nerves and occupied with worrying that I would not get to my destination on time, I didn’t care if anyone had recognized me and wondered about my enhanced abilities. 

It took almost 20 minutes of running to reach my home and when I reached it, I went inside and made a beeline for my small aircraft. 

The ceiling of my room opened and I maneuvered my vehicle so that it exited smoothly. Once again, I was going at top speed, racing to get to the battle in time.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” I chanted lowly and gripped the controller of the ship tightly. 

My feral side was pacing, my heart was thundering, and all I could think was, _Who?_

Every scenario, every person I could think of was shut down. In order to challenge the King, the opponent had to be of Wakandan linage and therefore from one of the six founding tribes, but that didn’t make sense. Every tribe had completely surrendered to King T’Challa’s sovereign during Challenge Day and were forbidden to challenge for the seat in any time in the future once the crowning was over. M’Baku was also crossed off the list since he had experienced a humiliating defeat and went back to his land to lick his wounds.

This person must have been someone notable for the King to accept his challenge.

When I arrived near the arena I parked my small aircraft and ran towards the tunnels that would lead to it. I desperately hoped that I hadn’t missed the chance to witness the challenge.

The tunnels were dark, unlit because of the rush to begin the challenge, but that didn’t hinder me in the slightest. In the dark, my eyes were still many times better than a human’s, and I was able to continue running as fast a possible.

Reaching the entrance I slowed to a stop and took a breath to compose myself, then walked out quickly. Almost immediately, my eyes spotted the King and the challenger already in the arena but not combating just yet.

The challenger looked outlandish with his Western styled garb and armor. No doubt he was of Western heritage but must’ve been partially Wakandan to have been allowed to challenge. Another thing that caught my notice was his smell. It was incredibly different from our people, who had a quality of freshness and the wild. His was artificial, contaminated, musky with a thick coating of bitterness because of the anger and hatred that he was currently feeling. 

I took another whiff. No, it wasn’t only those emotions that plagued his scent; murderousness accompanied them as well. This man wasn’t in the mood for mercy, he had every the intention to kill. 

The drums began to start, signaling the beginning of the combat.

“ **The King will now have the strength of the Black Panther stripped away.** ” Zuri the Witch Priest stated in heavily accented English for the sake of the foreigner as he gave the liquid to the kneeling T’Challa.

I watched the transformation clearly from the back. Slowly, I inched forward to stand next to my uncle. He glanced at me before quickly averting his attention back to the standoff.

Their conversation was easy to hear because of my keen hearing. It was almost as if they were talking not a foot away. 

“ **This is your last chance. Throw down your weapons and we can handle this another way.** ” The Inkosi mercifully suggested, but the other man didn’t care. Instead, his hatred only heightened.

He stabbed his weapons in the dirt under the water and sneered at the King. “ **I lived my entire life waitin’ for this moment. I trained, I lied, I killed… just to get here. I killed in America, Afghanistan, Iraq. I took life from my brothers and sisters right on this continent!** ”

Once he removed his top to reveal the dozens of self-inflicted scars, a practice that I recognized from one of our cultures, he grabbed his weapons and ripped them from the earth. I stared at his body in disgust and horror because I new that each disfigurement only signified one thing: the deaths caused under his hand.

“ **And all this death… just so I could kill you.** ” He finished as he brought the butchered up weapon to point it at the king.

The young King stared at the foreigner with burning eyes for a moment, then looked to Zuri and gave a small nod.

“ **Let the challenge begin.** ” The priest said loudly and thumped his spear on the ground to signify the start of the fight.

The outsider immediately ran forward and slashed at T’Challa, who blocked the blow. They exchanged hits, grunting and roaring, and going forward and back along the water and making it splash around them. Harsh brutal moves were made by each of them, until the King was able to sweep the other man from under his feet. 

He pointed his spear at him. “ **Yield!** ”

For a second, I felt relieved, but then the foreigner rolled from under the weapon and drew himself up. Again, they fought brutally, and T’Challa was even able to slice his opponent’s cheek. This made him furious, so he made some harsh hits and was able to catch the King off guard, throwing him into the water. From then on, it went downhill.

T’Challa suffered from many hits and slices until he was weak and distracted and the outsider took this to his advantage and stabbed the King savagely in his side.

My teeth and nails grew to sharp points and I snarled loudly at the move. Everyone around me turned to look at me in surprise but I resumed watching the events occurring below. Unfortunately, the drums of the fight and distance between us had covered my slip-up and didn’t distract the two combatants. 

The foreigner continued to beat T’Challa harshly. “ **This is for my father!** ”

I was startled. His father? What did he have to do with the Kumkani? Was that all done in revenge?

But then he lifted up his weapon and I jerked forward. **_No!_ _Erik!_** ” Zuri yelled as he intercepted the killing blow.

“ **Zuri, no.** ” T’Challa groaned as he lied in the water in pain.

Zuri used his weapon to disarm Erik. “ **Stop!** ”

Everyone began to protest and the arena was filled with desperate voices. Mine also one of them.

“ **I am the cause of your father’s death. Not him. Take me.** ” Zuri pleaded with a choked voice. There was silence and we all watched with wide eyes at the declaration. It was him?

For a split second, Erik scrutinized him.

" **Stop. Stop, please! Can’t you see that he is going to take your life!** " I screamed to the priest.

Zuri glanced back to the audience for a moment while Erik took advantage of the distraction to stab his weapon into Zuri’s chest. “ ** _I’ll take you both, Uncle James!_** ” 

Everyone gasped and I brought my hands up to my mouth in horror as T’Challa yelled in anger and crawled to the body that was lying face down in the water. “ ** _NO! NO! ZURI, NO! NOOO! ZURI! NO! NO!_** ”

In retaliation of the murder of the man who was his uncle all in but blood, the wounded man swiped at Erick weakly but was easily overpowered in a few efficient, vicious moves.

“ **Is this your king? Huh?** ” The traitor asked cruelly. He dodged another weak swipe that had T’Challa growling as he nearly toppled over from the effort. “ **Is this your king?** ” 

T’Challa again tried to stab the other man, who caught his arm and punched him in the stomach. Then Erick moved forward and kneed him in the face, leaving him to choke in pain as he dropped back in the water.

“ **The Back Panther, who’s supposed to lead you to the future? Him?** ” He yelled at the audience. “ **He’s supposed to protect you?** ”

Everyone watched with varied emotions: sadness, fear, agony, anger, but the one that would have pissed me off if I wasn’t distracted with murder’s disgusting display was the indifference lingering around W’Kabi.

Once more, T’Challa stood and tried to fight, but this time, Erick took him over his shoulder and moved to the edge of the waterfall. He weakly struggled on top of the other man’s shoulders but was too exhausted and in pain to get away.

“ _No!_ ” I roared as the King was thrown down into the raging river below.

Without a second thought, I darted forward running through the water and pushed the killer away. Multiple things happened then; Erick skidded through the water with my hard push, I threw myself after the man who had fallen below, and my uncle yelled in fear.

“ _NOKUTHULAAAAA! __"_

__

With a splash, I dropped in the river and screamed, allowing water to gush into my mouth. Many of my bones had broken from some rocks that were placed unfavorably in my way as I fell in. Fortunately, after a few seconds, they began to snap back into place and I was able to fight my way back to the surface.

__

Blinking rapidly, I took a chocked out all the water from my throat and took a deep breath. When I got a hold of myself, I instantly whipped my head around looking for the King.

__

With my sharp eyes, I saw not too far from myself a few floating limbs drifting above the river. Not wasting a second, I swam quickly and tried to catch up as soon as I could. When I got to him, I grasped his body and drew his head out of the water. His heart was still beating but his breath was very shallow. He had lost too much blood and the water wasn’t helping.

__

“My King! My King!” I shouted over the rushing water urgently. “Wake up! You need to wake up!”

__

My pleas were unsuccessful. He was dead to the world.

__

After a few minutes when we finally had left the waterfall and was reaching flatland, I used my strength to wade against the water and drag him to the side of the river.

__

Thinking quickly, I threw my Kimoyo Beads back into the river. If anyone were to try to locate us, they would think I would have drowned in the river, and if they bothered to track us down by it, it would lead them nowhere near us.

__

I looked back over him and grasped my head, not knowing what to do. “Oh Bast, please, please help me. I don’t know what to do!”

__

Blood seemed to be seeping from every corner of his body, but especially his side. He was dying, there was no doubt about it.

__

I started tearing up and crying from helplessness. There was no hope. The King, my king, was going to die and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. I had no medical tools and there was no one around for miles.

__

With tears running down my face, I moved his arms over his chest and looked over his sleeping face. It was bloodied and full of scratches.

__

I didn’t want him to die looking so gruesome, so as mother would do and doing it without thought, I licked my thumb and rubbed away the blood, skimming over some tiny cuts in the process. Then a miracle happened. Those little cuts began to close and disappear completely right before my eyes.

__

Unbelieving of what was happening, I did the same action and watched as the same thing occurred again. My heart beat wildly at the discovery and I spit on my hand to begin wiping it on different abrasions. The little saliva that I was able to spit on my hand wasn’t healing very fast; I knew I would have to apply with a different method if I wanted faster results. I hesitated again for a few more moments, then dipped down to the largest, most life threatening wound he had, which was his side. Quickly, I stuck my tongue into the wound and applied as much of my spit so that everything healed correctly and that he wouldn’t just be left with healed skin and a stab wound still under.

__

I hated myself for violating him this way and begged the Goddess Bast to keep him from gaining consciousness. My respect for him nearly overcame my will to heal him but I smacked myself mentally when I realized that his life was at stake and that I should be getting it along asap.

__

After I believed his body was clean and unblemished, I began to lap his face with my tongue, avoiding the area around his mouth as much as I could. I cringed at the taste of blood and hated how natural it seemed to me, like I was tasting something I would normally eat.

__

He shifted and groaned lightly at the action, his face scrunching a little in pain. I stopped immediately and watched with hope but he didn’t look like he was going to gain consciousness anytime soon.

__

_I’m sorry, I’m sorry_ , I thought to him as I continued lapping away. _I’m almost done._

__

I finished quickly and didn’t wait to watch the wound heal, instead looking around and sniffing his body for more wounds. Mortified, I realized that he had another in his inner thighs. I looked at it for a while, glanced at his face, and couldn’t bare it. The idea of licking the King’s inner thigh had me closing my eyes in embarrassment.

__

_Nope_ , I thought to myself. _There is no way I’m doing it._

__

Instead, I gathered as much saliva as I could in my palm and rubbed the fluids into the wound. It closed up beautifully and left the skin brand new. Using the same method now that he wasn’t in as much danger of bleeding out, I went about healing all the other wounds.

__

There wasn’t any smells that indicated more wounds on his body, so I sat back on my haunches and gazed at the entirety of him. Tears of happiness and relief pricked my eyes, and I looked to the darkening skies. “Thank you. Thank you.”

__

His slowly quickening breathes and heartbeat was music to my ears and after some time keeping track of his vitals, I decided that everything was in steady and in order. There was a chance to move him to a safer location without harming him.

__

As softly as I could, I took hold of his body and lifted it over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry. It was easy for me and his weight wasn’t the slightest bit of a bother with my level of strength, so I began to jog slowly into the lands. Although I wanted to go faster, I took into consideration that the man on my shoulders could have been suffering from internal injuries and didn’t want to irritate them further.

__

The night was coming in less than an hour which meant that predators would be prowling about in the night. T’Challa was defenseless and I didn’t want to be distracted by other threats if he were ever in danger.

__

I had one place in mind as I traveled across the wild and it took about hour for me to arrive there with my current speed. Soon enough, I reached the entrance of my hideout and sighed in relief when I saw vines and the battered looking cloth. After a few years when I began to leave the city to explore my Feral powers and the wild, I eventually found myself gravitating to this area after the first time I found it. Many a time had I come here for solitude–whether it be from people or problems. Slowly over the years I started to clean it out and fix it to my liking, to which it then became habitable.

__

Inside, I slowly lifted the unconscious man off and laid him out gently on my bed on the floor in the corner of the room. After I tucked blankets around his form and checked him one last time, I moved to the entrance and watched him while also listening for any unusual noise in the wild.

__

The events the past day began to rush through my mind, but what especially struck me the most was Priest Zuri’s death. He was beloved among everyone and would do no wrong, so I could only wonder why he would beg for the blame to be placed on him and then be killed for it.

__

>I looked over at the sleeping king and tears spilled from my eyes. I cried silently for some time, for the fate of our people and for him. Although I didn’t know him well, I couldn’t help but feel deep sorrow for him. He had lost his kingdom, his family, his people, and nearly his life. He was a good man–a just king with a heart of gold. The last person to ever deserve to have to go through this.

__

Hours dwindled past and the wild birds of the wild began waking and chirping in response to the rising sun.

__

I got up from my place and stretched, padding over to his form and sitting. Nudging his face softly, I whispered, “My king, my king.”

__

He stirred lightly but went back to sleep.

__

I repeated the action, but this time with a little more force. “My king, you must wake up.”

__

He groaned softly as his eyes scrunched and then opened. He blinked a few times and moved his head to the side slightly to look at me. “You.”

__

_Me?_ I wondered. Never had I interacted with the man but there he was referring to me like he knew exactly who I was. This baffled me, so I kept quiet and waited for him to explicate.

__

His eyes gradually lost their haziness and honed until they were sharp on my features. “You are Langa’s niece, although I cannot recall your name.”

__

“Nokuthula, my King.” 

__

His eyes widened and he took a startled breath, remembering the fight the day before from the way I addressed him. Immediately, he attempted to push himself up but groaned hoarsely at the pain Erik had inflicted on him. I did everything I could to heal his cuts but there was a possibility that he had broken bones, strained muscles, or even had internal injuries.

__

I pushed his chest with a firm hand, using a little of my strength when he struggled against my palm and pushed him back on the furs. He looked shocked at my easy handling and stared at me. I ignored his expression and pressed to more important matters. “How are you feeling? Where do you feel pain?”

__

For a few moments he seemed to be measuring my genuineness. He must’ve come to some positive conclusion because he eventually answered, “I think my ribs are cracked or broken and I am feeling pain along my spine.”

__

I sucked in air at this news. It didn’t occur to me that he could have been suffering from spinal injuries. This was very bad news because if it was serious, without medical treatment from Wakanda there was a chance that he could be facing life-long disabilities, or even worse, he would not be able to walk at all.

__

I gave him a tense look. “I’m going to help you stand right now and we will see if you still have the ability to walk.”

__

He tensed as I came near and touched him. Carefully, I helped him sit up and waited for the pain in his ribs to subside. When he stopped groaning and gave me a tight nod, I brought my arm under his and lifted most of his weight as I stood up leisurely. The man must’ve been in too much pain to realize my inhuman strength or didn’t care at the time because he made no mention of it.

__

T’Challa growled and gripped my shoulder tightly as he straightened himself up as much possible but it seemed that he couldn’t completely because of the agony it caused him.

__

I waited again until his panting slowed and asked, “Do you think you can take a few steps?”

__

After a few seconds he nodded. We both mentally prepared ourselves.

__

Gingerly, we both took a step but he cried out loudly when he placed some of his weight on his leg. I became surprised when his knees buckled and all his body seemed to drop but I quickly tightened my hold to take all his weight.

__

_Rhino dung. This is not good._ I worried.

__

He panted louder than I had heard before and his face was scrunched tightly in pain. “Put me down."

__

I followed the order instantly and did my best to jostle him as little as possible, yet still the beads of sweat gathering at his temples told me of his suffering. 

__

When it passed, he opened his eyes and gazed at me, looking at me from top to bottom analytically. “You are very strong for a woman of your stature.”

__

I smiled. “Are you talking about by build or my status, your Highness?”

__

He turned his head and smiled at the ceiling, his eyes flickering to me. “Both.”

__

I settled into my place and clenched my damp clothing. As I watched his expression carefully, I said, “I am a Mutant. A Feral to be specific. That is why I am very strong.”

__

Surprised, he turned his head and stared at my face. “A Feral?”

__

“Yes, your Highness.”

__

He took a full minute to digest this information. After half a minute, I had become accustomed to the silence, which was why I jumped a little when he spoke abruptly. “Canine or Feline?”

__

“Feline.” I answered, a little confused as to where the conversation was going.

__

He nodded and after a bit he asked, “Where are we now?”

__

“Your Highness, we are currently 30 miles north of Birnin Zana. This is still too close to the city. I suggest that we leave as soon as possible.” We had no idea if the madman thought that we were alive or not and I didn’t think he was the type to assume anything. There was a very big chance that he was suspicious of T’Challa’s survival and would send warriors to make sure that he was finished once and for all.

__

T’Challa looked angry after I spoke, although I was sure it was at his condition and not my proposal. The way he motioned to his body irritatedly confirmed that impression. “And how will we able to do that?”

__

It would be a painful and long journey but in order to live, we would have to make such sacrifice. Not to mention, it would also bruise his pride, but I had to do it. I would carry him for the rest of his life if it came down to it, so I said, “Leave it to me.”

__

If I were in the mood to smirk, I would have at his wide eyes, but what the journey entailed made me too fearful to feel any positive emotions.

__

If there was any time where T’Challa would have to be at his strongest, it would be now.

__


	4. Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nokuthula and T'Challa find sanctuary in the J'Abari Land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Xhosa.” + “ _Emphasized Dialogue._ ”
> 
> “ **English.** ”
> 
> _Thoughts._

T’Challa had fainted a long time ago from the pain the jostling from my running was causing him. I used this to my advantage and ran as fast as I could to leave behind the forest and our potential death.

After a few hours past, and I was beginning too slow. My muscles burned furiously and I knew that if I were a normal human, I would be suffering from severe exhaustion and dehydration.

As I walked through the greenery, the air began to become colder and colder, and that’s when I knew that we were getting close to our destination. Snow began collecting on the ground and the plants became sparser by the kilometer until I was only surrounded by white and rocks. At this point, I had put T’Challa down and took off my robes, covering him tightly and lifting him back on. He was half naked from the fight and his combat shorts did nothing to protect him from the piercing winds. I knew that I would be able to survive no matter how cold it became so I prioritized his well-being by making sure that he was clothed with all the clothing we had available.

He and I shivered from the cold but I trudged on, wearing nothing but thin undershorts and a top that only concealed my chest and upper stomach. Miles walking up the mountains and against its harsh climates and my limbs began to feel agonizingly numb. I could feel how my body was fighting against hypothermia and frostbite. 

It was a near certainty that I had lost some toes and fingers along the process of hiking up the mountain, but the numbness wouldn’t allow me to detect much of anything. It didn’t matter though because my body would heal immediately and recover the missing digits.

Almost at the end of the trek I stopped, smelling and listening to the J’Abari who had been following the moment I began hiking the mountain that led to their city. They closed in the more I walked until they hid out of sight only a few meters away. At their close proximity, I stood stock still waiting for them to make a move. My heart pounded in trepidation while I listened to their low breaths and quick heartbeats. 

Slowly, they came out of their hiding spots.

The King’s light breathing on my shoulder indicated his unconsciousness, so I lightly jostled him and whispered harshly, “My King, wake up now. You must wake up.”

He didn’t wake and I growled lowly in frustration and unease. He was slowly slinking into a coma and the extreme cold was doing nothing to help him.

The warriors surrounded us in a circle and I clenched onto T’Challa’s covered thighs tighter. There was little way of knowing if their intentions were good so I readied myself to flee the instant they made a threatening move. 

Maybe it was a mistake coming to J’Abari Land.

“ **Who are you? What are you doing in our lands, woman?** ” The man in front of me snarled in English. His eyes burned into my face and then searched the features of the man who’s head rested on my shoulder.

“ **I am Nokuthula, niece of the Elder of the Merchant Tribe, and I am here asking for aid and protection for my friend.** ” I told him strongly, keeping any anger or negative emotions away from my tone as not to agitate them and lose T’Challa’s only chance of medical treatment.

The warrior stared at me and grunted loudly. 

One of the soldiers walked up and came too close for comfort in which I instinctively growled from the back of my throat. He paused with his hands raised, about to attempt to take T’Challa off my back but stopping when he caught my warning.

The first warrior I came in contact with thought I was feeling mistrustful and said, “ **Let him take your companion. No harm will come to him.** ”

I shifted the weight on my back and shook my head quickly. “ **No, I am fine as I am.** ”

He didn’t betray any emotion at my stubbornness and turned away. One of the other men walked up to me with large cover and I bristled again, thinking that they were going to use force this time, until he roughly covered T’Challa and I with it. Once the knot that was made so that it didn’t slip off was secured, he tipped his head up the road and pushed me to start moving.

I walked in front of them warily, unsure of having my back exposed because it gave them a clear exposure of where T’Challa was situated. 

The winds became harsher as we traveled to the top of the mountain and I worried a lot about T’Challa being affected by it. The journey couldn’t have gone slower but eventually I found myself looking at a huge construction spanning nearly half a mile and made entirely of wood.

In only minutes I was led through the insides of the building. Along the way many J’Abari people stopped and stared, making a scene out of my entrance. Woman and men alike began following the warriors behind me, trying to catch a glimpse of the foreign woman carrying a full grown man like he was a child.

Finally, we made it to the entrance of large room where I could hear the unmistakable voice of M’Baku discussing something with another person in their native language. 

I jumped when the warrior behind me grunted and spoke loudly, most likely alerting the chief of our arrival.

M’Baku paused for a moment and then responded just as loudly. Lowly, he muttered something to other man, who then came into view. The stranger startled a little when he saw me but walked past us quickly.

At the other man’s dismissal, the same warrior who spoke gave a nudge to my calf. This made me walk so that I entered a room. Making my way to the front of the leader of the J’Abari, I kept my head down in submission. I didn’t want to make a mistake of looking into his eyes and possibly offending him.

“ **What do you seek, outsider?** ” M’Baku demanded while he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He scanned me from top to bottom and lingered on the man on my back. Fortunately, T’Challa had moved his head some time during the journey so that his face was hidden in my neck. Unfortunately for me, it was awkward and embarrassing because I was incredibly aware of feel his lips near my pulse.

“ **I am begging you to help my companion. He is in dire need of medical aid.** ” I pleaded.

M’Baku lifted chin to a warrior near me, who came forward, untied the knot on collarbones, and stripped the cover away.

The J’Abari leader took a loud breath of surprise and shot up from his seat. I flinched back at the abrupt motion and became antsy when he came near. The man was huge, giving him a good intimidation factor, and my Feral didn’t like it at all. It felt like a challenge to her and I tried to harshly push her back to her place. Responding to the perceived challenge would only blow my chance for help.

The ape-man grabbed T’Challa’s head, making my chest rumble from the low growl I was emitting—everyone was touching him and I hated it–and moved the unconscious man’s head a little so that he could see most of his features. T’Challa’s sleeping face made him raise his brows, and he carefully let him go and stepped back.

“ **Not just any companion, eh?** ” M’Baku stated with a hint of amusement. He folded his arms and looked me from top and bottom, noticing my lack of clothing, the feminine textiles wrapped around the man on my back, and making the connection.

Again, he started talking in his native language, which I could not follow a single word of, and motioned to T’Challa.

“ **My men will now take you and T’Challa to supply him with medical aide. Go now.** ” He dismissed me with a wave of a hand and went back to his throne watching me carefully.

“ **Thank you. I am forever in your debt.** ” I said and bowed my head once.

He shook his head and slouched back into his seat. “ **No, no debt.** ”

Without a second thought, I turned and left his presence, feeling incredibly aware of his stare on my back—or rather T’Challa’s back—as I strode out of the room. 

The warriors lead me to a large room with its furniture and accessories made entirely out of wood, with an exception of the bed coverings.

“ **Stay here. Aid will be brought soon.** ” A warrior told me at the door.

When I nodded, he stepped back and closed the door firmly. My sharp ears caught the sound of some of them positioning themselves at either side of the entrance. It didn’t matter to me. I was occupied with bringing my King’s body onto the bed and stripping him from my clothing and covering him back with all the thick covers available. 

Now that my clothing was available, I dressed back up. While I was tying a final knot of my robe, I heard feet walking against the wooden floor outside quickly approaching the door.

There was a soft knock. From outside the room a low croaky voice spoke broken English, “ **Hello? I help.** ”

I raised my voice so that they could hear. “ **Come in.** ”

An old woman wearing furs and a long heavy looking attire came inside the room carrying a woven basket. One inhale informed me of the herbs and oils that she had inside, items that she must have brought for the man lying indisposed on the bed.

The elderly woman scurried to T’Challa’s side and started removing items from her basket. Coming to her side, I asked her, “Can I help?”

She looked up and then took out a jar filled with a very light brownish tinted liquid. 

“Use.” She told me and made a rubbing motion in the air. “Help cold.”

Briskly, I lifted the covers back off his body until his combat shorts revealed themselves. We both made quick working of rubbing the oils and medicines onto his body, her taking over the top while I kneaded his legs.

Blood began to rush back to T’Challa’s body and his cheeks became rosy because of it. I marveled at the caliber and efficiency of their natural cures and how quickly it impacted the body. It was no wonder the J’Abari had lived this long in the harsh conditions of an environment like this. For millenniums they had rejected any technological or scientific advancements and instead used their efforts into perfecting crafts like medicine making and carpentry. Never had I ever been grateful that they did until now.

When we were done, she didn’t tell me to do anything more so I stood back as she ran her diagnostics the old fashioned way, running her hands over his body, testing flesh, moving his limbs this way and that, and then checking his pulse, breath, and eyes. I noticed how she would stop her actions whenever the man began to show any signs of discomfort, and completely stopped when she reached the midway through his back to skip all the way down to continue on his legs. She must have been aware that something was wrong in that area and didn’t want to do deal with anything that was not in her expertise. That was a professional call, because tackling issues that she had little knowledge would have resulted in putting him in pain and/or magnify the problem.

“Pick up.” She said after turning to me, she pointing at T’Challa and flicking her finger up. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to communicate to me, so she took some bandages from her basket and mimed wrapping her ribs. It was then did I understand she meant and moved to lift the man’s upper body so that she could begin the process. As I lifted his upper body easily, she startled from my unmistakable show of strength but quickly got over it, prioritizing her patient and not making any fuss of what she had witnessed.

Meanwhile, T’Challa made a low noise and stirred from unconsciousness. Inwardly, I despaired at his impeccable–and unfortunate for me–timing. “Wh—what is going on?”

“Shhh. Everything is fine. We are just wrapping your ribs.” I said in a calm, soothing voice.

His eyes widened a little and he tried to move from my grasp, resisting when I didn’t let him. “We? What do you mean ‘we’?”

I averted my gaze and then sighed because I knew that there was no way of avoiding the truth. It only took one look around to tell where we were and who we were with. “A J’Abari woman and I. We are now in J’Abari Land, my King.”

He looked at the other woman who had stopped wrapping as he woke. They stared at each other until the J’Abari looked to me inquiringly. I nodded at her, giving her permission to continue what she had been doing.

“You brought—” He gave a pained wheeze when she tightened the bandage, “—us here?” T’Challa didn’t look like he knew whether he felt like he should have been angry or relieved at my decision. “Why?”

“You needed medical aide desperately, so I made the risk.” I informed him. 

He argued no further, understanding that there was no other option available. If I hadn’t brought him here, he would have died in the wild… and that was if that sham of a king didn’t get to us first.

There was nothing left to be said between us so we watched as the woman finished up by tucking in the excess cloth so that it wouldn’t get loose. I laid him down and lifted his covers up on his chest, feeling a little flustered as the man watched me doing it. It felt a little intimate, taking care of him like that, so I instantly backed off and moved to a chair in the other side of the room. The old lady had left not long ago, leaving us to wait in the stillness.

“Why did you come for me?” His low voice questioned in the silent room. I knew that the only thing that he could be referring to was when I followed after him when he was thrown into the river.

It took me a while to collect my thoughts but after scrambling and finding little, I realized I could give him no real answer. “I don’t know. It was instinctive.”

“An instinct of yours or your Feral?” He asked, as if he knew exactly what I had experienced. Maybe he had. I never thought of it, but maybe the Hearth-Shaped Herb had given him more that strength and agility.

“A combination of both, my King, but more Feral than mine.” I said truthfully. “I almost did not even think when I jumped after you.”

T’Challa looked at me strangely—scrutinizingly, in a way. “I never got to thank you for saving my life.”

I gave him a small smile. “The fact that my king is still alive is all the thanks I need. And when you recuperate and take back the kingdom, you will have paid me many times over.”

He gave a nod of promise but frowned once he realized his condition. “It does not look like I will be paying my debt soon.”

I pursed my lips and shook my head in disagreement. There was a long period of silence until he broke it again.

“Say, where has all my wounds gone? Don’t tell me that the J’Abari are that advanced in medicine as well.” He pushed down the covers to look at his unblemished side, abdomen, and thigh—also noticing the lack of little cuts or scabs on any of his skin.

Oh, Bast. I didn’t know what to say and there was no way I could possibly explain without bringing embarrassment to both of us or looking like a liar, so I just nodded. “Yes, I was surprised to find out as well.”

The way I phrased my statement made him remember my own health and he scanned my face carefully. “You must have been hurt from the fall. Do you need medical aid?”

“No, do not worry, my King. Fortunately, my Feral mutation gave me an incredibly fast healing rate. Some bones broke from the fall in the river but they snapped into place almost immediately.”

He grimaced at the word “snapped”, imagining the unpleasant scene in detail. “Pain is still pain and I am very sorry that you went through that.”

“Do not worry about it, your Highness,” I dismissed again. “As cliché as it sounds, I have endured worse.”

The wild was an unforgiving place and I had slipped into some situations where a normal human definitely would have died, and many more that were miss calls. When I was younger, I was obsessed with challenging the limits of my powers and would perform insane activities that would result in broken bones, blood loss, and one time even a missing limb. It wasn’t until I had past my teenage years and reached maturely of adulthood did I apply my efforts into something more productive like sparring. My youth full of adventure and learning, and although there was quite a bit of pain, the experience was unforgettable and definitely worth it.

T’Challa looked like wanted to say more but was interrupted when I said, “Someone is coming.”

Not ten-seconds later M’Baku barged in with four guards following behind him. He stood in front of us imposingly and stared at T’Challa, his eyes flicking toward me once. “ **It looks like you ran into a bit of trouble, eh, T’Challa?** ”

The healer must have informed them of her patient’s consciousness and the Ape-Chief didn’t give me the impression of someone to wait for someone to get better before interrogating them. He must have been extremely mystified as to why Wakanda’s king–and the powerful Black Panther, no less—had been in such a state and why he was brought here to J’Abari Land, the home of their enemy, for aid. Last time he saw the king was when he had challenged him and after the defeat he hadn’t expected to see him in a very long while.

“M’Baku,” T’Challa acknowledged. “ **Thank you for your aid. I am v—** “

“Bah,” M’Baku interrupted loudly with a wave, “ **Be quiet. I am just paying a life debt.** ”

My companions dipped his head with appreciation. 

The bigger male folded his arms, muscles bulging in the act. “ **So for what have I been graced the honor of your presence in my lands? Especially in a state like yours? I would have expected you to rely on the much more advanced medicines in your city.** ” 

“ **My city is now being ruled by a madman. A man named Erik Stevens, who I recently discovered to be my cousin, has beaten me in trial of combat for the throne. He tried to kill me but I was saved.** ” My king nodded his head at me and I returned it with a small tilt of my head. M’Baku quirked a brow with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. 

“ **Erik Stevens** ,” M’Baku tasted the name on his tongue. “ **A Western name, no? Hm… Must have been an interesting turn of events.** ” Abruptly, he pointed his finger at T’Challa. “ **I will help you heal but only because of your people if what you say is true about Stevens. I have already paid my debts so I am the one being owed a favor this time.** ”

They observed each other for some seconds until T’Challa bowed his head once. “ **Agreed. Thank you.** ”

I curiously watched the exchange and wondered how leaders where able to find politics in everything that they did. 

M’Baku crossed his arms again and smirked proudly. “ **Now that business is out of the way, I’ve got a little present for you.** ”

He spoke to his guards who then signaled to the ones standing outside the door. I could hear light footsteps walk up to the door from where they were waiting. Their scent wafted into the room a few seconds before they did and I gasped because of the familiarity of it. I smelled it in the very few times I had been invited to the palace with my cousin’s family and had smelled it again when I stood at the ravine with all the leaders of Wakanda not long ago.

Two woman came walking into the room with slightly confused expressions but bursted into movement when they spotted the familiar man in the bed.

“T’Challa!” Shuri cried as they hurried to the unoccupied side of his bed. The Queen Mother burst into tears as she held onto his hand with a death-grip while Shuri grinned widely with watery eyes. T’Challa could only look back and forth to each of them in amazement. 

I gaped at them, not understanding what exactly that had occurred in the last few seconds. The King must’ve felt confused as well because he asked them, “What are you doing here?”

Shuri wiped her eyes and said, “After you were thrown off the cliff, we knew we weren’t safe around Killmonger and had to flee. J’Abari Land became the only safe place in Wakanda, so we came here for sanctuary.”

“But never mind us. We are fine.” Ramonda cut in. “What about you, my son? How are you?”

Without missing a beat, he smiled hugely and kissed his mother’s hand. “Everything is right in the world now that my family is here with me. I thought—I thought—“ He paused and pain flashed through his face, “Never mind, everything is fine.”

At his inability to speak, an understanding look came over his mother’s face and so she placed a hand over her son’s head and stroked it tenderly with all the affection she could give. “Oh, my son.”

My heart hurt badly for him. I didn’t realize that he actually believed that his mother and sister would be slaughtered by Killmonger. It was hard for me to imagine that a hero like him, the Black Panther, could lose such hope, but I understood; he had reached the lowest of lows and didn’t have the emotional capability to stay positive.

T’Challa closed his eyes, tears clinging to his lashes, and reveled in the attention. His shoulder slackened a bit, as if weight was lifted off his shoulders. His family was safe.

Once he opened his eyes and was able to swallow his emotions, he looked to his sister. They began talking with wide smiles on their faces and I took that as my cue to leave. Looking at the leader of the land we were now in, I smiled genuinely and gestured to the door. It wasn’t my place to witness the family reunion, I reminded myself.

“ **Thank you so much for what you have done. This the greatest gift you have given anyone.** ” I told him sincerely after we left the room.

“ **Mm** ,” he simply responded without looking at me as we walked down the hall, myself only a step behind him to respect his status. Apparently he wasn’t very interested in hearing my gratitude or was embarrassed by it because he changed the subject. “ **What is your relation to T’Challa, exactly?** ”

I blinked a few times and waved a hand in denial. “ **Nothing romantic, if that is what you mean. I am only a loyal subject protecting her king.** ”

“ **Very loyal** ,” M’Baku commended, “ **but not everyone would do the same in your shoes. They couldn’t do it even if they tried.** ”

That was what I was waiting for. I was so sure that he was bound to notice my intact health and impressive power when I carried the king through the searing cold and snow without so much of a struggle. 

There was no way out of denying the truth or telling lies so I revealed my secret. “ **I am a Feral Mutant.** ”

“ **Feral?** ” He finally looked at me and repeated with a bit of shock, as though he knew my answer and yet still became surprised by my candor. “ **A Feral Mutant?** ”

“ **Yes, that is why I have super strength and healing abilities.** ” Only that the healing abilities was meant in both ways I had discovered the other day, but I wasn’t about to say that aloud.

What he said next stunned me into stopping right in the middle of the hallway. " **I, too, am a Feral.** ”

 _What? Have I heard correctly?_ I thought, bewildered, but took a whiff of his scent; my nose always told me everything I needed to know. His furs had covered a bit of his natural smell, but I could definitely tell the underlying aroma of Feral—although weaker than I would have expected.

“ **Level 1 Feral** ,” he revealed shortly when he heard my inhale. A jolt of embarrassment came over me at of my blatant scrutiny of his person. I gave a soft apology and he gave me the smallest of glances, not acknowledging it entirely. At that moment did I realized that all the respect he had for me plummeted and that he wasn’t interested in interacting with me anymore.

I burned with shame when we walked again, and I wanted to slap myself because of my stupidity. As a person more animal than most, it was natural to use my senses to understand people but it rarely ever dawned to me how my curiosity could be interpreted as more of a violation than anything else. Instead of dwelling on my misstep, which would lead me into a spiral of my own chagrin, I distracted myself with what he had said.

Level 1 Ferals usually had stronger senses and more strength than an average human, but almost never had gifts of regeneration or more animal like qualities that Level 5 Ferals always possessed. They also almost never knew what animal they embodied because of their limited mutations. 

M’Baku left not long after, leaving me to a few warriors who had brought me to another room. There, I took a deep breathe and sat on the bed, rubbing my face restlessly.

I was so happy that the king had been reunited with his family but it reminded me to think of mine. Even though my family knew I was a Mutant, they still must had been worried sick for me. It went without saying that I must had been branded as a traitor after the way I unflinchingly went after T’Challa and they must have done some heavy investigation on my person to figure out the motivations behind my actions. (Jokes on them because they will have never understood why I did. I, myself, did not understand.)

What I worried about the most was how my family would be scrutinized for my act of betrayal. My uncle needed all the trust he could get from the king at such turbulent times but I only made it harder for him to be taken seriously in the Royal Court. I had hoped I didn’t doom him and the rest of my people into living under a difficult reign.

My poor Aunt Buhle and cousin Nofoto… 

I rubbed my eyes with the pads of my fingers as my head hung. 

I felt like I had failed them; it was all my fault that they were suffering. I had no way of knowing how they were and my instincts urged me to go back home and bring them back to safety. On the other hand, another part of me had made a strong bond with T’Challa–one that I couldn’t sever even if I wanted to. Throughout caring for the man, my Feral had created a deep bond full of care and support and although it wasn’t romantic, it didn’t feel platonic at all whatsoever. I just knew in the deepest part of my heart and mind that I couldn’t leave the him. 

I was the only capable person who was capable of defending him and his family from the J’Abari, Killmonger, and every other enemy out there who might had caught a whiff of his downfall and decided it was an opportune time to take revenge.

Torn between the love for my family and the responsibility to my monarchs, I sighed deeply. I wouldn’t leave the king and his family to fend for themselves and I hated myself all the more for it. If anything—anything—happened to my family while I wasn’t there, I would hate myself for eternity.


	5. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nokuthula travels and meets some allies, bringing back much needed supplies to J’Abari Land. Coming back, she finds that not everyone is pleased with what she has done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Xhosa.” + “ _Emphasized Dialogue._ ”
> 
> “ **English.** ”
> 
> _Thoughts._

“Good morning, Nokuthula.”

I turned and crossed my arms against my chest while smiling. “Good morning, Princess, how are you?” 

The princess stood at the door of the balcony, dressed in thick furs and fabrics that made her slender form look bulky. She crossed her arms back and shrugged. “I’m fine… but I still can be better, you know?”

I gave a small pained smile that conveyed my understanding. “Yes, I feel the same.”

She pursed her lips as she thought of my family living under Killmonger’s reign. “I bet you do.”

We stood there for a few moments examining one another. From what I could see, the young woman had aged significantly in the last three days. There was bags under her eyes–eyes that were a light pink probably because of a recent crying session–and the way she held herself was incredibly different from before. She stood straighter, shoulders squared, and expression more controlled–a stark difference from the princess I knew previously. It was not a surprising transformation after having a lunatic nearly kill her brother, take over her kingdom and become king, and then having to run away with her mother to another enemy territory where they worried over their fates. 

Shuri took a small breath to gather strength for her confession. “I came here to tell you how grateful I am for rescuing my bother.”

At that, I immediately began making a fuss and tried to stop her from continuing. “Please, there is no need to–“

She lifted a hand and I became silent. “No, seriously, I can never repay you for what you have done. My brother is alive and on the path to recovery which is more than anyone could ever hope to be after being thrown off a cliff.”

The young princess blinked her tears back furiously and quickly swiped them away when she failed. “To tell you the truth, when I saw you go after my brother, I had no hope that he would come out alive. I sincerely believed with all my being that he was dead.” Her voice hitched slightly at the last word and she took a moment to collect herself after that admission. “But seeing him now, breathing and awake, I can’t tell you how much I am thankful to you for risking yourself like that.”

I sighed. There was a selfish part of me that wanted to accept her gratitude but a much greater part couldn’t because of how the former king was currently lying indisposed in a bed. “Don’t thank me just yet. Your brother is in pain and has no use of his legs.”

“Stop, all that I care about is that he is alive.” She said as she patted a fist over her heart. “The rest doesn’t matter because I know my bother. Nothing, nothing will stop him from redeeming his ability to walk or his reign over our kingdom. For better or for worse, he can’t do anything right now, which brings me to the second reason why I came to you for.”

My brows raised in surprise. “Of course, anything for you, Princess. What do you need?”

She stayed quiet for a bit, looking over at the view at the balcony I had found during my search of the building. “I’ve recently contacted one of the Dora Milaje in secrecy,” She told me quietly and turned to catch my reaction. I tried to digest the information while struggling to hold a blank expression. “I need to meet them at the border of the J’Abari Land for medical technology that I could use on my brother. If I am able to attain that, then there is no doubt I will be able to heal T’Challa.”

“Surely you are aware that you are endangering yourself, Princess. I wouldn’t put it past Killmonger to send out search parties looking for all of us. Maybe we should wait until they ease up on their defenses and then make a move.” I recommended, trying to avoid answering her request. Truth to be told, I was at loss at what to do. It was my duty to guard the King, but I wasn’t delusional to think that, when it came down to it, the Queen and T’Challa wouldn’t order me to follow the princess and disregard their own safety in a heartbeat.

“No,” She answered promptly as she folded her arms in an assertive manner. “I already told them when we would meet. I’m not going to contact them again and further Killmonger’s chances of capturing us. You make your choice now or I leave without you.”

“I think you should ask M’Baku to spare some soldiers to make the exchange.”

She rolled her eyes and scoffed angrily. “As if that wasn’t my first move. I already spoke to M’Baku about it and that selfish monkey is not willing to help, but I’m asking you if you can.”

I took a moment to think, my thoughts going through my mind like lightening. The young inventor watched me carefully, which made me pressured to answer at once.

There was silence as I stood there observing her. I was a bit startled by her straightforward approach but also felt pride at her backbone. A greater part of me, however, felt vexation at what I thought to be an incredibly stupid move on her part. Perhaps monitoring her brother’s missions had made her cocky. Bizarrely, T’Challa had an uncanny ability to get himself out of any situation and take risks without facing the consequences and maybe that was why she felt confident that she could get away with them too. But look at him now—crippled and without his kingdom.

“Your Highness, please understand, this is _not_ the time to making such rash decisions. If you leave and they end up betraying you, not only will your family be in danger, but you will put all the J’Abari in danger. You at least owe it to them to put an effort to keep their involvement secret.” Maybe going about it the harsh way would make her think twice since talking to her gently wasn’t showing any change.

“Stop it,” she demanded with a fierce look. “I am going to do this and nothing and _no one_ is going to get in my way.”

I raised my hands in show of backing off. “Fine, do what you will…But your brother will know of this conversation.”

She looked betrayed at that declaration, an ugly sneer taking over her face. For a moment I thought she was going to lunge at me, but she abruptly turned and walked away with nails biting deeply into her palm. I watched her leave the balcony and turn around the corner, and stayed behind thinking for a few moments. A deep nervousness took over my stomach and I worried that she would do something in her anger. I debated with myself and eyed the door wearily. _Should I follow her?_

Concern overrode my will to relay the exchange to T’Challa and I followed behind her. 

I had no trouble following her and keeping myself undetected as she weaved through the halls and people. It was a great relief when I realized that she was returning to her room and I stood at the end of the hall listening for nearly 10 minutes. At first, when she entered, there was a little rustling of clothing and creaking of the bed, but other than that, for the rest of the time I listened intently there was nothing but her breathing and occasionally a minor movement. After cementing my belief that she wouldn’t be threatening her well-being, I left and went straight to T’Challa’s chambers.

_What a stupid, brave child_ , I thought with the slightest hint of admiration as I thought back. She reminded me of myself, full of undeniable idiocy that never failed to get me into trouble. Although my healing powers always saved my skin—and quite literally at times—it also allowed me to get away with a lot of my antics. Although, even with lack of evidence, it had also taught my guardians to look beyond my skin and find clues in my clothes since they knew I could regenerate while my clothes couldn’t. Dirt, blood, burns, and tears gave away my shenanigans and in the end, I was always left berated or punished.

The princess, with all her genius and capability, was not at all _near_ my league in the real world. While I got away intact and with punishment—little in comparison to the magnitude of trouble I had gotten into—her state of vulnerability left her in deep shit. Especially now, without any Wakanda high-tech weaponry, she would not stand a chance against her own people. Then, looking at how she had little to no experience in fighting in the most natural way there was, hand to hand, her probabilities of getting out alive dropped significantly. In any likelihood that she went through her plan, she would be practically delivering herself on a plater. 

“My King,” I greeted, arms crossed in an X-formation. 

T’Challa nodded back from his place in his bed, unable to do more without bringing himself more pain. “Nokuthula, what brings you here?” He asked inquiringly as he noticed my faintly pinched expression. 

“My King,” I began again with a grave tone that made him wary. “It’s regarding the princess.”

He came to attention the moment I mentioned his sister and witnessed his desire to get up battle internally in him. I could only watch the strain on his face and feel guilt for being the bringer of bad news.

“She just came to me with shocking news…” I paused for a moment and almost looked away from his piercing gaze. The only thing keeping me from doing do was pride and the need for dominance that my Feral possessed. Dear Bast, just by his eyes alone there was no mistaking him for anything lower than a king. “Recently, she has contacted the Dora Milaje and is planning to meet with them in secrecy to retrieve some medical technology. She came to me in hopes that I would join her.”

The man slowly grew more and more angry the further I went into my explanation, until it was well-nigh furiousness. With an impressive amount of self-control, he schooled his features, and asked demandingly, “Where is she now?”

“In her room, you Highness,” I told him, relieved that I could at least answer that. 

“And did you get some guards placed at her door at least? How do you know that she will not escape in the dead of the night? Or that she hasn’t already?” He asked heatedly. “She certainly is smart enough for that.”

My gut dropped to the floor. Immediately, I panicked and began to apologize. _Stupid, stupid_ , I chided myself angrily.

“Don’t,” T’Challa halted my apologies warningly. “Go check on my sister and bring her here at once. I will deal with her myself.”

After quickly imitating the move I had done when I first arrived, I swiftly left the room. Instead of wasting time on going straight to her room with the possibility that she might not be there, I made use of my high senses. Multiple smells, tastes, and noises permeated the air, but I quickly tuned in on the one I desired. Shuri’s scent lingered in the hall, signaling that she must have visited her brother not long before she approached me. 

My nostrils flared slightly as I took multiple inhales to catch a lead on the young genius. Once I found it, I tracked it past the hall that lead to her room and kept vigilant as it grew stronger with every one of my strides. Were she in her room as she should’ve been, there would’ve been a deep scent wafting from the door and I would’ve been able to hear her movements. 

My nose and ears lead me out of the building and out into the harsh constant winter of the J’Abari Land. From afar, I spotted the teenager, trudging along the ice in a heavy set of cloth with snow clinging to her boots and the ends of her wrap. The air in front of her face became white with every breath she took and there was a determined movement to her gait.

“Princess! Princess Shuri!” She froze but continued on her way as if she hadn’t heard my calls. My eyes flashed at her defiance and trudged through the snow quickly to catch up with her. As much as I wanted to take on a harsh tone, I reigned it in and pleaded lightly, “Your Highness, please, stop. Don’t do this.”

“Or what?” She bit out as she whipped around, mistaking my words for a threat.

“Nothing, just know that his Highness is aware of your plans and demands for you.” Oh, never mind. Apparently I was threatening her.

Shuri scoffed. “Tattling to my brother now?” 

I smiled without humor, knowing that it would irritate her. “Always.”

Her expression grew bitter and with a deep scowl she continued her journey across the snow. 

“I can’t force you to do anything, but I really recommend talking to your brother before you do something that you regret!” I voiced loudly after her. There was no reaction, so I continued. “Okay, fine, but at least talk to me! Perhaps we can work this out between the two of us!”

She simply raised a middle finger in response and I rolled my eyes—torn between amusement and irritation. The stubborn teen trudged through the snow with some difficulty and I surmised with some satisfaction that she wouldn’t make it halfway to Wakanda’s capital state without the weather and snow wearing her out eventually. 

I tilted my face towards the heavens and pleaded for Bast to give me strength. Shuri was stupid—excuse my impertinence—or she was very set on killing herself. 

Knowing that I would have to initiate the conversation, I reached Shuri’s side and stopped her. “Princess Shuri, wait.”

She raised her brows. “What is it?”

“I’ll do it,” I finally declared and she brightened with hope, “but you will not come because there is no need. There are simply too many variables out there that can cause you harm. Give me your Kimoyo Beads and I promise you that I will retrieve the medical technology.”

Shuri scrutinized me and folded her arms with a small smile. “You wouldn’t let me come even if I tried.”

“No,” I admitted, “I cannot allow you to venture out there in good conscience.” 

The princess rolled her eyes but eventually brought her wrist up. “Somlomo, allow Nokuthula, daughter of Cebisa and Mandla of the Merchant Tribe, access to the Dora Milaje’s coordinates.”

“You call your Kimoyo Beads ‘Speaker’?” I asked a little incredulously.

“Yes, and?” She said as she slipped her beads off and handed them to me.

I shrugged and placed them on my left wrist. “Somlomo, show me the direction to the Dora Milaje.”

A hologram appeared between us and directed me to my left. Along with the directions, the estimated time that it would take me to arrive at my destination showed up, and so did warnings about the geography and wildlife. Although none of it pertained to me with my abilities and all so I ignored it. Satisfied, I brought my arm down and the hologram winked out of existence. 

“I won’t let you down,” I told Shuri sincerely.

“You won’t let your king down, you mean,” Shuri corrected warningly to remind me what exactly was at stake. At that moment, I was reminded of her brother and could see how they were related. Easy going but authoritative when it mattered.

“Absolutely,” I agreed with a nod. “Trust me when I say that I will get this done even if it kills me.’

“Good,” Shuri replied with approval. She then crossed her arms. “Bast bless you with speed and safety, Nokuthula. Wakanda Forever.”

I crossed my arms in return. “Wakanda Forever.”

With that, I turned and glided through the snow in pursuit to complete what might’ve been the most important mission of my life.

—

My Feral kept shooting me pangs of apprehension throughout body as I sprinted through the white biome, making me hyperaware of my surroundings. There weren’t any dangers that I had encountered, fortunately, but there were a few surprises that forced me to take small detours in order to avoid confrontation. In my journey, I had encountered a few small nomadic tribes settling in their location for the night, but I was able to avoid contact with the help of my senses. It surprised me a bit to see that the J’Abari tribe split into little factions because I had always assumed that they were all clustered together in their capital city. But they seemed like a scrappy bunch and had a deep love for the wilderness and their “old ways”, so it wasn’t that much of revelation.

Other than the few close encounters with the nomads, my sprint through the lands was peaceful and easy—well, as easy as an enhanced person could travel though freezing temperatures and high levels of snow could. (Which, in reality, after traveling for hours on end, wasn’t very easy but compared to my previous journey with T’Challa it was.)

I wished that I had time to explore because I was incredibly fascinated by the difference in geography, weather, and wildlife compared to the hot, dry plains and forests of my home. It was all very new to me since, obviously, there wasn’t any snow to be found around Birnin Zana, and the J’Abari Land was completely out of bounds to Wakandans. Traveling out of country to experience similar environments was ruled out because it was incredibly difficult to get permission from my government to. I also never really has a plausible reason to, so I never expected to have seen actual, natural snow in my lifetime.

Though, as much as it was a novel at first, it quickly became a hindrance during my journey with T’Challa and I simultaneously wished that I was traveling through the pleasant drylands that I was so used to. It was freezing, just like last time, even with the furs and thick cloths wrapped around me, but my body burned with the quick pace that I made. My heart pumped fiercely from exertion and with gut-wrenching anxiety as I grew closer to my destination.

Slowing down my pace to a moderate speed, I tapped the GEO tracker bead as I lifted my left hand up in front of me. From what I could see, the dot that represented my position was closing in on where the Dora agreed to meet. With that encouragement, I quickened my pace to abnormal speeds. 

It took a few minutes until I could sniff out a few human scents and the unique smell of vibranium. Nothing seemed out of place and there wasn’t a hint of any other scent but theirs. As I drew closer, I spotted three of the Dora Milaje standing near each other with their spears glinting even in with the low lighting.

I walked closer and to my surprise, it wasn’t General Okoye who had come up to greet me, but her second-in-command, Xoliswa. The other members of the Royal Guard, Zola and Onyeka, flanked her on both sides, and I glanced from face to face in confusion. _Where was she?_

“It’s good to see you, Lieutenant Xoliswa.” I told her, my confused frown turning to a wide smile, and I clasped her arm. Then I looked at the two other women. “Dora Onyeka and Dora Zola, I’m so happy to see you as well.”

They gave me a nod at my words but it was Xoliswa who spoke for them all. “It is good to see you too. I’m glad that you are in good health. Speaking of which, how goes our King? Mother Queen? And Princess Shuri?”

“They are all safe and doing well with the J’Abari. But the King...” I trailed off as his agonized expression came to mind. “He is bed-bound and in pain. There is not much they could do for him.”

There wasn’t any expression shown on any of their faces but the minute sound of their teeth clenching gave their anger away.

“But the kingdom? How goes the ruling under that bastard Killmonger?” I inquired with great anticipation. “And my family? Are they okay?”

“They are physically fine, however, they are the main target of Killmonger’s paranoia. Your actions at the ravine brought all his attention to them and they are being suspected for treason.”

My gut clenched anxiously and all the hardships and scenarios that came with falling from the King’s grace came to mind. I could only hope that it was only suspicion that Killmonger held and not a desire to official investigate them or bring them on trial.

“Take pride, Nokuthula.” Onyeka piped up and she took a step forward to place a hand on my shoulder. “Your family is strong and hold a lot of power over the court. The other tribe leaders have united under them and there is little Killmonger could do.”

“They are safe from his wrath, then.” I said aloud in relief. 

They let me have a moment to be content with that information before Zola went straight to the point. “We have very important news that you need to inform of the King about. Killmonger had rallied the Elders last night and is bullying them to release Wakandan forces around the world. W’Kabi is supporting him and he was able to convince M’Kathu to unleash his warriors. Fortunately, the rest of the Elders have unanimously vetoed against them, but we aren’t sure what Killmonger’s next move will be.”

I stared at them with wide eyes—absolutely not expecting the bomb that they had dropped on me. “What is he _doing_? Does he want to declare war on the entire world?”

“I’m not entirely sure of his intent, but it seems like he wants to put on a show of power for everyone.” Xoliswa answered calmly even though I could smell her discontent brewing.

“But surely he is aware that the West does not respond well to anyone more powerful than them or example of force against them. The same can be said with the rest of the so called ‘Super Powers’.” I said with raised brows.

“The throne has made him drunk with power,” Onyeka added fiercely. “He is nothing but an arrogant little boy who plays king even though he has no experience or knowledge of politics. He is going to sabotage Wakanda with his ignorance.”

“But the first step into beginning his downfall is to heal the King.” Her leader told her easily and then she turned to me. “We have the technology right behind us.”

Zola tapped a bead on wrist and instantly an aircraft appeared behind them. Its entrance slid open with a hiss only perceptible to my hearing, and from my position I had a clear view of all the technology the collected and were able to smuggle out of Shuri’s lab. All of it was there, tantalizingly within reach.

“Bast bless us all,” I muttered lowly in surprise. “How did you get away with stealing all that from the Princess’ lab?”

Zola gave me a complacent look. “Easily.”

She was probably over-exaggerating but I could not deny their impressive ability for going under the radar. 

We all walked to inside the plane and I twisted around to gawk at the gadgets and technology. Most of it I had never seen in my life and categorized as incredibly advanced technology, even compared to Wakandan technology which was light-years ahead of the rest of the world. I knew that the princess was a genius but I never comprehended how true that statement held until now. 

“This—this is very impressive, Lieutenant.” I told Xoliswa, nodding my head as my fingers skimmed over the machines and tools.

“Hopefully it will suffice.” Xoliswa said with her arms behind her back as she watched me marvel at their success. “You will be taking this plane with you. It is fully equipped with fuel and maximum charge along with more energy storage units when the princess plans to set up her equipment and attach it to an energy source.”

I nodded slowly. “And yourselves?”

“We have our ride right there.” She lifted her chin at the window behind me.

I turned and saw another aircraft, although much smaller, parked in the snow.

“This is were we leave you.” Xoliswa crossed her arms with the other Dora following suit. “Good luck, Nokuthula. The fate of Wakanda depends on you.”

It felt like someone doused me with a bucket of ice-water with that reminder and a deep breath escaped me. “Wakanda Forever.”

“Wakanda Forever.” They replied unanimously.

As I made my way to the pilot seat, I was reminded of a very important detail.

“Lieutenant,” I called before they could leave, “were is General Okoye?”

The froze for a moment before turning back to me. Xoliswa shook her head slowly and her grip on her spear tightened. “She serves Killmonger with unfaltering loyalty. She is not one of us.”

Shock. I only felt shock.

As I stood there completely still trying to take in that information, they took their exit and disappeared down the ramp.

_Okoye was on his side?_ My mind almost couldn’t comprehend it. _She loved the Royal Family more than anyone._

The revelation plagued me as I maneuvered the aircraft into the air and left the warrior women behind. Thankfully, the flight only lasted a few minutes and so I couldn’t dwell on the matter more. 

The snow blurred past the plane in insane speeds until everything seemed like a canvas of white. It was until I reached my destination that I began to slow the aircraft and could see everything more clearly. 

Although, as soon as I the J’Abari city came into view, a whole other issue popped up. The J’Abari, as I knew, where no great supporters of technology, but since there was no other way, I knew I would have to step—or rather, stomp—on some toes to land and get the cargo to him. My actions would not charm me to them at all but I hoped that they would over look my actions for T’Challa’s sake.

Carefully, I landed the plane not far from the palace. As I walked down, I instantly heard the sound of heavy breathing and running feat coming in my direction. It took a few seconds until a group of J’Abari warriors came into view with their weapons out and pointed at me.

I lifted my hands in the air. “ **I come in peace.** ”

“ **Then what is that!** ” The leader, the same as a few days ago, snarled while pointing at the plane behind me. 

“I brought an aircraft that contains medical technology to heal my king. I have no intention of threatening or attacking you.”

“Open it then.” He demanded.

“ **Okay** ,” I conceded softly, “ **but I will touching my beads to do that. **”****

They pointed their weapons at me, unaware that it would do little if I were actually a threat.

Slowly, I did as I said I would but that didn’t stop them from nearly stabbing me when the door opened and the ramp extracted. From their expressions, they weren’t expecting anything like that, which made me wonder if they had ever been exposed to any technology at all.

I nearly smiled at their confusion and fear as we entered inside. They had no idea what to make of the technology around them and they bunched together in order to avoid touching anything. 

Pitying them little, I explained how none of it was harmful or would react if they touched it. My words did nothing to relieve them and they stood in the middle of the plane completely unsure as what to do next.

Their leader must’ve reached a conclusion because he grunted at a warrior and together they came up and grabbed my arms on both sides. “ **You will answer to my leader.** ”

As they marched me to the palace, people began appearing from their homes to watch, curious and a little less fearful now that I was being guarded by their warriors.

Suddenly, a huge woman—tall and broad shouldered—from the crowd took a few steps forwards, grabbed a rock from the floor, and threw it. It made contact with my shin and I hissed in surprise when it bruised my skin even through the leathers of my boots. She yelled something that sounded very nasty in Yoruba and the civilians around laughed—some of them also finding the courage to also shout at me.

The warrior leader at my side chuffed loudly and glared at the people, and to my surprise, he began shouting at them as well. Surprised—if not a bit scared—they became silent and one by one, retreated back to their homes and to whatever they had been doing.

I turned my head and raised my brows at the warrior, expressing my surprise at his defense. He huffed and pushed me forward; it was not exactly a light shove but a lot softer that any of the previous ones.

As we neared the throne room, all thought on the events fled from my mind and I readied myself to face the consequences of my actions. When the guards situated at the sides of entrance opened the large wooden doors, I saw M’Baku in his throne at the back of the room already staring back at me while another of the J’Abari spoke to him rapidly in their language. He nodded a few times and replied without taking his eyes off me, and when his eyes narrowed and the acrid smell of anger permeated the air, it was obvious to tell what his thought of my efforts.

We neared his throne and the warriors pushed me forward so that I stood a few meters away. Not close enough for normal humans to communicate but our hearing easily covered that problem. The guards must have been informed of my abilities because it seemed like they were hesitant to allow me too close to their ruler.

“ **You dare bring that _abomination_ here in my lands? After I sheltered you and and saved your ruler from dying from his wounds and all the dangers out there? And not only have you insulted our ways by your actions, but you could have possibly given Killmonger a way to follow you back here.**” He thumped a large fist heavily on his wooden throne, making me jump a little at the loud and sudden gesture. “ ** _Here!_ To J’Abari Land! Straight to my people!**”

He stood up abruptly and pointed a finger at me. “ **Your heedlessness will put my people in danger! This is the first and only time that this will ever occur on my watch and I will do whatever it takes to make this statement true.** ” Sitting heavily back on his chair, he crossed his arms and gave me a hard stare. “ **Speak now before I give my ruling.** ”

I clasped my hands in front of me and lowered my head. “ **Please, I only wanted to heal my king. I did not do this with the intention of purposefully angering you. I just thought that you would look over this instance so that he could recover completely because he is our greatest chance at regaining the throne. My people love him and once they discover his existence, they will fight for him.** ”

M’Baku raised his brows in a way that relayed his doubt. “ **Killmonger has won his right to the throne. He can not be unseated just like that.** ”

“ **The people of Wakanda are isolationists just like you and have been for thousands of years. One Westerner will not be able to just wander into out country—King or no—and completely change our ways willy-nilly.** “ I argued. “ **And once our people catch the news that he trying to get our Courtney to go public, there will be people who will stand against him and question his authority. No doubt about it.** ”

“ **You are hoping for too much** ,” he replied just as quickly while shaking his head. “ **What’s not to say that they will instead be too frightened to go against him? He certainly has a gruesome enough history to make even the most powerful men wary of him.** ”

“ **I believe that the Elders’ honor won’t allow them to keep an corrupted king on the throne for long. It’s only the matter of how soon something can push them to take action. T’Challa’s appearance will do that.** ”

“ **Again, that is only speculation** ,” he disputed. “ **Speculations do not do much in the court of law and they certainly can’t do anything here.** ”

Realizing that my efforts were doing nothing to sway his mind, I swallowed heavily and took a desperate step forward—a move that made all the warriors raise their weapons warningly. “ **Please, I will accept any punishment that give out but please, please, I beg of you, allow T’Challa to be treated with the technology I brought.** ”

The Ape-Man stared at me for a moment and then leaned his head back with a groan. He kept his gaze up at the wooden ceiling, ignoring my pleading expression as if it were physically painful for him to look at me. “ **You have courage to ask this even though you are supposed to be convicted of your crimes? You have balls, woman.** ” He sighed heavily and finally looked at me, “ **But I hear your cries and they will not go unanswered.** ”

**Heal T’Challa, but once he is cured, you will take aircraft and leave these lands. You are banned from J’Abari Land indefinitely.** ”

“ **Thank you!** ” I cried breathlessly and almost fell to my knees, overwhelmed with relief. “ **Thank you so much. Bless you and your family. I won’t forget this.** ”

He rolled his eyes and huffed, already regretting what he had done. He was annoyed at me but more at the fact that he knew that his lenient actions would definitely infuriate some of higher-ranking J’Abari. At this point, he just wanted me to leave him alone before he took back his words. “ **Leave now.** ”

“ **Bless you** ,” I reiterated.

The guards followed me as I left the room and the large wooden doors closed behind me with a final thud.

I closed my eyes and exhaled heavily. _Thank Bast. That could have gone so much worse._


End file.
